Listening Skills and Obstacles

Flashcards covering key concepts, obstacles, and skills related to effective listening from the lecture notes.

Prejudgment

An obstacle to listening where a person assumes they already know what will be said and loses attention.

Minimal encourager

A communication skill involving gentle phrases like 'Tell me more' or 'go on' to encourage others to express themselves.

Defensive listening

Assuming that another person will say something insulting, disparaging, or disrespectful before they even begin to speak.

Mindfulness (in listening)

The foundation of all successful listening, involving being fully present and engaged in the communication.

Paraphrasing

Restating another person's message in your own words to confirm understanding and show you are listening.

Monopolizing

Hogging the stage by continuously focusing the conversation on oneself instead of the person who is talking.

Remembering (in listening)

The final aspect of the listening process, according to most experts.

Interpretation (in listening)

The process of putting together all selected and organized information to make sense of communication.

Ambushing (in listening)

A listening strategy where one listens carefully to collect information that can be used later to attack the speaker.

Message complexity

A listening obstacle that occurs when a message is so full of information or presents complicated ideas, making it difficult to follow and retain.

Suspending judgment

A practice in listening that helps prevent others from becoming defensive, fostering open communication.

Hearing

The physiological component of listening.

Environmental distractions

External factors in the surroundings that hinder effective listening, such as noise.

Literal listening

A listening approach that is not considered an effective communication skill for gaining insight into others.

Importance of Listening

Listening is an essential and equally important component of the communication process, not less important than talking.

Selective listening

Paying attention only to parts of a conversation that are personally interesting or relevant, while ignoring other parts.