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The cycle of listening comprises two stages: 1. Encoding and transmission of the message by the sender. 2. Decoding and providing the required feedback by the receiver. Listening comprises three stages: 1. Levelling 2. Sharpening 3. Assimilation Successful progression and completion of these three stages determine the accuracy of the listening process.
Stages of Listening
1. Levelling : Mind is kept open for inflow of information. Thereafter sifting of information follows. Sensical is separated from nonsensical. Desired material is retained and rest is dumped and discarded. 2. Sharpening : Focusing on or sharpening of verbal inputs by the mental filters. 3. Assimilation : This is the final stage where assimilation of relevant texts takes place.
TYPES OF LISTENING
The crucial amongst the various types of listening are: Passive listening
Marginal listening
Projective listening
Sensitive/Empathetic
Active listening
TYPES OF LISTENING
1. Passive listening: The physical presence but mental absence of the listener can be defined as passive listening or hearing. o All spoken messages are heard but not absorbed. o Utterances sink in the mind of the individual in the form of a heap of verbal garbage without any actual processing. o The onus of making the receiver a passive listener rests squarely on the shoulders of the sender.
TYPES OF LISTENING
2. Marginal listening: Provision of too much/uninteresting/unrelated information often lead to marginal listening. o Listening happens at the superficial level and the listener does not attempt to go beyond a brief understanding of the topic discussed. o The most common factor that can be attributed to this kind of listening is fatigue or boredom. o Information seeps in the mind only in bits and pieces. o ML is better than passive listening.
3. Projective listening: Here, the responses of the receiver are in a state of restful alertness. o Each individual has a frame of reference in which the perspective of the co-interactant is absorbed or at least attempted to. o The image of a camera can be used to understand the concept. o The receiver tries to bring about a union between the experiences of the sender and the self in such a manner as if it were a combination of micro and the macro. o Micro is the narrow perspective of the receiver, while the macro is the broader perspective presented by the sender.
TYPES OF LISTENING
TYPES OF LISTENING
4. Sensitive listening: Sensitive and empathetic are two terms which, when used for listening can be understood as synonyms. o Here the receiver is able to understand the viewpoint of the speaker in exactly the same terms as intended. o It is a myth to presume that words always mean the same to everyone because the meanings assigned to spoken words lie in our perceptions, and not in words. o Instance of PLC. o In sensitive or empathetic listening, an attempt is made to decipher the meaning of the statement in relation to the perceptions and experiences of the sender.
.It is not a easy task, especially if the sender is a new person about whom little or nothing is known. o To understand the message in a more meaningful way, it is necessary for the receiver to raise queries. o Sensitive listening, however, is not a very useful tool for enhancing communication. o J Krishnamurti remarked: so when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.
TYPES OF LISTENING
5. Active listening: In this form of listening, the receiver absorbs all that is being said and also makes an attempt to verify all that has been said. o It is a well-researched fact that listening can never completely take place in accordance with the communicative intent of the speaker. o However, we can postulate that a combination of active and empathetic listening is the perfect or ideal form of listening. o Active listening is not solely a product of the capabilities of the listener. Warning: Listeners can actively stay tuned to a presentation only if the communication style is impressive and the content thought-provoking.
TYPES OF LISTENING
Listening skills can be improved with conscious effort. Lets see the differences between good listener and bad listener.
TO LISTEN EFFECTIVELY THE BAD LISTENER
1. Find areas of interest
2. Judge content, not delivery 3. Hold your fire
Resists difficult Uses heavier material as expository material; exercise for the mind. seeks light, recreational material to emotional Interprets emotional words; doesnt get hung up on them.
Lets now look at some of the specific steps we can take to become a better listener. 1. Be motivated to listen: Researchers have concluded that the more motivated a listener is, the more active and alert he becomes as a receiver. This is the first prerequisite to becoming a good listener.