Communicating for

Results
9e

Effective Listening

4
Key Ideas

Importance of effective
listening
Signs of poor listening
Causes of poor listening
Improving listening skills
Payoffs of effective
listening

Copyright Cengage 2011

Consider this
Every time you communicate two
things happen. First your behavior
either contributes to or hinders the
accomplishment of your task.
Second, Your relationship with the
other person is either strengthened
or harmed. Your listening ability . .
. affects both of these dimensions.
Brownell, Listening, Allyn and Bacon, 2002, p. 9

Copyright Cengage 2011

Engineers Listening Experience

Citigroup Case Study

Read or describe the case study
Answer the following questions:
Evaluate LeMessuriers listening skills.
Which communication style in Chapter
3 fits LeMessurier?
Was it ethical for LeMessurier to
withhold this information from the public?
Copyright Cengage 2011

Effective Listening in Organizations

Listening
Listening
Listening
Listening

to
to
to
to

customers
employees
supervisors
coworkers

Copyright Cengage 2011

Listening to Customers
Advantages include . . .

Copyright Cengage 2011

ages
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Discover needed product &

service changes
Learn about competition
Increase sales and customer
satisfaction

Listening to Employees
Advantages include . . .

Increases employee satisfaction

Copyright Cengage 2011

mageS
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Creates open climate

uest

Shows support

When Listening to the Boss

Glatthorn & Adams suggest the following . . .

Copyright Cengage 2011

arris
Jason H

Listen to know your boss

Use this knowledge to guide
interactions
Develop expertise your boss values
Be wary of giving advice

When Listening to the Boss

Glatthorn & Adams suggest the following . . .

arris
Jason H

Build off supervisors ideas

Praise appropriately
Dont criticize superiors

Copyright Cengage 2011

Listening to Coworkers

Copyright Cengage 2011

arri
Jason H

Listening helps develop strong

relationships
Types of listening
Comprehension
Therapeutic
Critical

Listening to Coworkers
Global tips include . . .

Copyright Cengage 2011

arri
Jason H

Focus on information gathering &

sharing
Use humor as morale booster
Learn to tolerate ambiguity
Explain ideas completely
Show you are listening

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Responses That Can Indicate Non-acceptance

Listeners Response
Ordering, demanding: You
must try . . . You have to try . . .

Implied Message
Dont feel, act or think that way.
Do it my way.

Criticizing, blaming
You are wrong if you have that
disagreeing: You arent thinking feeling, act or think that way,
about this properly . . .
Advising, giving answers:
Why dont
you . . . Let me suggest . . .

Heres a solution so you wont

have that feeling, act or think
that way.

Praising, Agreeing: But youve

done such a good job . . . I
approve of . . .

Your feelings, actions, and

opinions are subject to my
approval

Reassuring, Sympathizing:
You dont need to have that
Dont worry. . . Youll feel better . . feeling, act or think that way.
.
Interpreting, diagnosing:
What you need is . . . Your
problem is . .

Heres the reason you have for

feeling, acting or thinking that
way.

Copyright Cengage 2011

Diverting, avoiding: We can

Norma Carr-Raffino,
11 1985

Your feelings, actions, and

Signs of Poor Listening

Are you guilty of any of these signs?

Learning of events too late

Information must be repeated
Always putting out fires
Tasks given to others

arris
Jason H

Increase in written
communication

Copyright Cengage 2011

12

Habits of Poor Listening

Are you guilty of any of these habits?

Calling the topic boring

Criticizing the speakers delivery
Orally or mentally interrupting to
disagree
Listening only for facts
Takes detailed notes of
arris
Jason H

everything
Copyright Cengage 2011

13

Bad Listening Habits (cont)

Pretending to listen
Tolerating or creating distractions
Avoiding listening to difficult
material
Reacting emotionally by tuning out
Daydreaming

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14

Barriers to Poor Listening

Physical Barriers
Personal Barriers
Physical well-being
Psychological distractions
Attitudinal biases

Gender Barriers
Semantic Barriers

Copyright Cengage 2011

15

Awareness Check: Listening Skills

How are your listening skills? To check your listening effectiveness, take
the following quiz. Compare your answers with those in the back of this
book. You can also take this quiz and view the answers online at your
Premium Website for Communicating for Results.
Directions: For each of these statements about your listening skills,
select one of the following: A = yes, B = sometimes, or C = no.
___1. I feel uncomfortable when listening to or responding to my
supervisor.
___2. When I disagree with a person, I pretend to listen to what they are
saying.
___3. I usually focus on facts when people are speaking.
___4. I have difficulty concentrating on the instructions that others give
me.
___5. When speakers say something that makes me mad, I usually tune
them out.
___6. I seldom seek out the opportunity to listen to new ideas.
___7. I find myself daydreaming when others seem to ramble on.
___8. I often argue mentally or aloud with what someone is saying even
before he or she finishes.
___9. I find that others are always repeating things to me.
___10. When listening to speakers, I often concentrate on what they are
Copyright Cengage 2011
16
wearing or on their mannerisms.

Awareness Check: Gender Barriers

How accurate are you in determining gender differences? To find out,
take the following quiz and check your answers against those in the
back of this book. You can also take this quiz and view the answers
online at your Premium Website for Communicating for Results.

Directions: For each question, write M if you think the answer is men;
write W if you think it is women; write S if you think it is the
same for both men and women. Then compare your responses with
the answers and explanations drawn from the latest research
(questions adapted from Rozema & Gray, 1989, and updated from
current research).
___1. In office discussions, who usually talks more often?
___2. Who is better at interpreting nonverbal cues while listening?
___3. When speaking to others, who tends to attach more tag questions
(such as Dont you agree? and Right?) to statements?
___4. Who is more likely to view a conversation in a competitive rather
than cooperative manner?
___5. In office discussions, who usually works harder to keep the
conversation going?
___6. During a conversation, who tends to interrupt more often?
___7. While listening, who is less likely to ask questions, especially if
asking will reveal a lack of knowledge?
___8. Whom do colleagues consider the better listener?
Copyright Cengage 2011

17

Stages of Listening
Sensing
Interpreting>

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18

Attribution Theory
Explains problems in the Interpretation
Phase
Original Theorist: Fritz Heider, The
Psychology of Interpersonal Relations,
1958.
Definition: The process of drawing
inferences or how people process
information and use it to explain the
behaviour of others and self.
Copyright Cengage 2011

19

Attribution Theory
Involves a Three-Step Process:
Perceive an action

judge intent of action

Attribute reason for action.

Fundamental Attribution Error

(Ross, 1977)
Overestimate the role of the persons
character
Underestimate the role that the situation
has on behaviour
Copyright Cengage 2011

20

Stages of Listening
Sensing
Interpreting
Evaluating
Responding
Memory

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21

Improving Listening Skills

Listen for facts and feelings
Identify speakers main points
Take brief notes
Constantly summarize previous
points

Copyright Cengage 2011

IFA/eStock

Avoid prejudice

ureQuest
Photo/Pict

Relate information to current

policies & procedures
22

Payoffs of Effective Listening

Discovering values, needs
expectations and goals of
supervisors and co-workers
Better management-employee
relations
Better decisions in emergencies
Constantly summarize previous
points
Copyright Cengage 2011

23

Communicating for
Results
9e

Effective Listening

4
Key Ideas

Importance of effective
listening
Signs of poor listening
Causes of poor listening
Improving listening skills
Payoffs of effective
listening

Copyright Cengage 2011

24