The Listening Process and Nonverbal Communication

Receiving

The process of taking in visual and auditory input.

Hearing

The ability to perceive sound, but only listen to about 30% of it.

Attending

The act of focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others, combating obstacles both internal and external.

Information overload

A state where the amount of information exceeds the processing capacity, leading to difficulty in understanding.

Speech rate

The average rate of speech is 125 words per minute, while our thought process can range from 600 to 800 words per minute.

Noise

Any interference in communication, which can be physical, external, physiological (like illness or deafness), or psychological.

Mental bracketing

The technique of setting aside irrelevant thoughts to focus on the current conversation.

Short term memory

The part of memory that temporarily houses information while seeking to understand its meaning.

Long term memory

The part of memory devoted to storing permanent information.

Feedback

Responses to communication that can be positive or negative, including timing.

Back channel cues

Verbal and nonverbal signals, such as 'uh huh', that indicate attentiveness.

Paraphrasing

The act of summarizing others' comments to demonstrate understanding.

Mnemonics

Devices that aid memory.

Listening process

Receiving → attending → understanding → responding → recalling.

Message distortion

Changes in the message during communication.

Leveling

Detail reduced, things omitted, lose complexity.

Sharpening

Items heightened or emphasized.

Assimilation

Interpret something based on your biases, expectations, needs; the message is reconstructed to reflect your views.

Body language

Nonverbal cues that convey meaning.

A good listener

Is a mirror.

A blanket

Someone who is constantly interrupting the flow of others' conversation with their own nonverbal skills.

A brickwall

Has nothing to give back, they stand quiet and motionless until the speaker simply gives up.

5 purposes to listen

Comprehend, Support, Analyze, Appreciate, Discern.

Comprehend

Accurately interpret and store.

Support

Providing comfort/empathy.

Analyze

Evaluate, and judge the message.

Appreciate

Enjoy sounds/sights.

Discern

Distinguish specific sounds.

4 listening styles

Task oriented, Relational, Critical listeners, Analytical.

Task oriented

Brief, to the point, accurate messages.

Relational

View as an opportunity to build and maintain relationships.

Critical listeners

Focus on the accuracy and consistency of what another person says; discern mistakes and catch errors in logic.

Analytical

Evaluate facts and details before forming an opinion.

Forms of ineffective listening

Selective listening, Eavesdropping, Pseudo-listening, Provocateurs, Aggressive listening/ambushing, Narcissistic listening.

Selective listening

Hear what you want.

Eavesdropping

Listening to private conversations.

Pseudo-listening

Pretending to listen to what others are saying.

Provocateurs

Solely annoy others.

Aggressive listening/ambushing

Attack the speaker.

Narcissistic listening

Self-absorbed listening.

93% of communication

Is nonverbal, 7% is verbal.

Nonverbal communication

The intentional or unintentional transmission of meaning through an individual's unspoken physical and behavioral cues.

Kinesics

Communication through body movements; e.g., facial expression, emotion, judgment of others.

Eye messages

Oculesis

Gestures

Control the exchange of conversational turns during interpersonal encounters.

Regulators

Use to show to keep talking, pay attention, be quiet.

Illustrators

Accent or illustrate verbal meanings.

Emblems

Represent specific verbal meanings; the gesture and its verbal meaning are interchangeable.

Adaptors

Touching gestures that serve a psychological or physical purpose.

Self adaptor

Gestures like itching or moving hair out of eyes.

Alter adaptor

Gestures done onto someone else.

Object adaptor

Playing with a pen or other object.

Posture

Straightness of your body, leaning, shoulder slouching.

Immediacy

The degree to which you find someone interesting and attractive.

Power

Ability to influence or control other people or events.

Vocalics

Vocal characteristics we use to communicate non-verbal.

Tone

A combination of richness and breathiness; the most complex of human vocal characteristics.

Pitch

High or low of voice.

Loudness

Volume.

Speech rate

Speed at which you speak.

Haptics

6 types of touch.

Functional professional touch

Used to accomplish certain tasks.

Social polite touch

Derives from social norms and expectations.

Friendship warmth touch

Express a liking for another person.

Love intimacy touch

Lets you convey deep emotional feelings.

Sexual arousal touch

Touch that conveys sexual interest.

Aggressive hostile touch

Designed to hurt and humiliate others.

Proxemics

Communication through the use of physical distance.

Physical appearance

Visible attributes such as hair, clothing, body type, and other features.

Artifacts/environment

The things we possess that influence how we see ourselves and that we use to express our identity to others.

Fixed features

Stable, unchanging aspects like size and doors.

Semi-fixed features

Easy to change aspects like furniture and lighting.

Territoriality

The tendency to claim physical spaces as our own and to define certain locations as areas we don't want others to invade without permission.

Primary territory

Exclusive of owner, such as a purse, wallet, or bedroom.

Secondary territory

Not exclusive to you, such as a seat at a table or a couch in the living room.

Public territory

Temporary occupancy, such as a movie theater, beach, or parking lot.

Central marker

Reserves your place.

Boundary marker

Divides territory from others.

Ear marker

Marks your possessions, such as food, clothes, or bags.