speech 2/23 videos 2 & 3

Listening Process Overview

• The listening process is described as a six-step process.

• Distinction between Hearing and Listening:

  • Hearing: a physiological activity where sound waves hit the eardrum, and can occur without conscious effort.

  • Listening: an active, conscious choice involving full engagement in the communication process.

Step 1: Mindfulness in Listening

• Mindfulness: Being open and attentive to messages in a communication interaction.

• Requires focus and an ethical commitment to pay attention and absorb what is being communicated, without imposing personal judgments.

• Research indicates people can listen at 300 words per minute, while speaking typically occurs at 100-150 words per minute.

• Effective listening enhances communication, understanding emotions, and establishing connections.

• Quote: "If you make listening and observation your occupation, you will gain much more than you can by talk." - Robert Baden Powell

Step 2: Physically Receiving Messages

• Receiving messages occurs through sound waves and can also include nonverbal forms such as American Sign Language.

• Importance of nonverbal cues: reading lips and body language.

• Quote: "We have two ears and one tongue so that we can listen more and talk less."

Step 3: Selecting and Organizing Information

• Perception Process: Involves selecting, organizing, and interpreting messages.

• Factors included: what is said, how it’s said, surrounding environment, emotional state, and prior experiences with the speaker.

• Selection: Paying attention to specific stimuli from the communication interaction.

• Organization: Utilizing cognitive schemas like prototypes and scripts to facilitate response.

  • Example: Common script for greeting - "I'm doing fine."

Step 4: Interpreting Messages

• Interpretation factors: personal history, culture, and current emotional or physiological states.

• Example of situational impact: the time of day can influence understanding and engagement with the content being communicated.

• Interpretation varies based on the communicator’s perceived authority and relationships.

Step 5: Responding

• Responses can be verbal and nonverbal.

• Nonverbal cues: head nods, eye contact, silence, gestures.

• Feedback: Important for indicating understanding and interest in the conversation.

• Quote: "People don't always need advice. Sometimes all they really need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand them."

Step 6: Remembering

• Memory: Retaining information from communication is critical for future use.

• Research indicates that 35% of conversational content is remembered after eight hours.

• Strategies to improve memory include:

  • Physically writing down notes instead of passive recording.

  • Reviewing notes after class.

  • Teaching the learned content to others to strengthen understanding.

Obstacles to Mindful Listening

Situational Obstacles

• Incomprehensibility: Messages that are hard to understand due to language barriers or jargon.

• Message Overload: The challenge of processing multiple streams of communication simultaneously in today’s information-saturated environment.

• Message Complexity: Detailed or technical messages that require a higher level of understanding.

• Environmental Distractions: Noisy or disruptive surroundings that inhibit attention.

Internal Obstacles

• Preoccupation: Being distracted by personal concerns during communication.

• Lack of Effort: Mental exhaustion leading to a lack of attentiveness.

• Failure to Adapt Listening Styles: Conflicts arising from different listening preferences between speakers and listeners.

• Emotionally Loaded Language: Words that trigger strong emotional responses impacting listening ability.

Forms of Ineffective Listening

• Pseudo Listening: Fake listening where one appears engaged but is actually distracted.

• Monopolizing: Redirecting conversation back to oneself.

• Selective Listening: Focusing only on parts of the conversation.

• Defensive Listening: Assuming negative intent in messages, leading to a closed-off response.

• Ambush Listening: Listening only to attack or criticize based on selective hearing.

• Literal Listening: Focusing solely on the content without understanding emotional undertones.

Conclusion

• Encourage mindfulness in listening interactions.

• Identify and understand obstacles to effective listening to improve communication skills.