Listening
the process of receiving and responding to others' messages
Hearing
the process in which sound waves strike the eardrum and cause vibrations that are transmitted to the brain
Mindless listening
when we react to others' messages automatically and routinely, without much mental investment
Mindful listening
giving careful and thoughtful attention and responses to the messages we receive
1) to understand 2) to evaluate 3) to build and maintain relationships 4) to help others
What are the four reasons for listening?
Listening fidelity
the degree of congruence between what a listener understands and what the message sender was attempting to communicate
Invitational attitude
to learn more about perspectives other than their own
Critical listening
evaluating the quality of a message
1) information overload 2) personal concerns 3) rapid thought 4) noise
What are the four common barriers in listening?
Pseudolistening
an imitation of real listening, giving the appearance of being attentive
Stage hogging
when people are interested only in expressing their ideas and don't care about what anyone else has to say; conversational narcissism
Selective listening
when people respond to the parts of the speaker's remarks that interest them, rejecting everything else
Filling in gaps
when people manufacture information so that when they retell what they listened to, they can give the impression they "got it all," leaving the message distorted
Insulated listening
when a listener simply fails to hear or acknowledge a topic they'd rather not deal with
Defensive listening
when people take innocent comments as personal attacks, projecting their own insecurities onto others
Ambushing
when a person listens carefully, but only because he or she is collecting information that will be used to attack what you have to say
1) hearing 2) attending 3) understanding 4) remembering 5) responding
What are the five components/elements of listening?
Attending
part of selection in which we filter out some messages and focus on others
Nonverbal learning disorder
a disorder due to a processing deficit in the right hemisphere of the brain causing trouble making sense of many nonverbal cues
Understanding
the ability to make sense of messages
1) awareness of syntactic and grammatical rules 2) knowledge about source of message 3) context 4) listener's mental abilities 5) personality traits
Understanding depends on what 5 things?
Remembering
the ability to recall information once we've understood it
1) number of times information is heard or repeated 2) how much information 3) whether the information may be "rehearsed
What are the three factors of remembering?
Responding
giving observable feedback to the speaker
Silent listening
staying attentive and nonverbally responsive without offering any verbal feedback
Questioning
when the listener asks the speaker for additional information
Open questions
questions that allow a variety of extended responses
Closed questions
questions that allow only a limited range of answers
Sincere questions
questions aimed at understanding others
Counterfeit questions
questions that are really disguised attempts to send a message, not receive one
Paraphrasing
feedback that restates, in your own words, the message you thought the speaker sent
Empathizing
a response style listeners use when they want to show that they identify with a speaker
Cold comfort
when listeners believe they are empathizing when they are offering responses that are evaluative and directive
Supporting
responses that reveal the listener's solidarity with the speaker's situation; expressions of care, concern, affection, and interest, especially during times of stress
Analyzing
when a listener offers an interpretation of a speaker's message
Evaluating
a response that appraises the sender's thoughts or behaviors in some way
Advising
the most common reaction to being approached with another's problem