Listening and Ethics
• How responsive a listener are you?– It is our ethical responsibility to listen
• Are you prepared to listen?– Listening is the fundamental process through which we
initiate and maintain relationships
• How well do you use your listening time?– The percentage of information you retain when listening
indicates how good of a listener you are
• How much of a role do you play in ensuring the integrity of a message?– Chain of command transmission or serial communication
Listening vs. HearingListening vs. Hearing
Hearing occurs automatically and requires no conscious effortA natural and passive process
Listening is a deliberate process through which we seek to understand and retain aural stimuliDepends on a complex set of skills that must be
acquiredWho we are affects what we listen toIf information is important to us, we work harder to
retain it
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener criticizes the speaker’s topic by calling it “uninteresting”
• Poor listeners attempt to justify bad behavior.
• Good listeners try to find some fact or idea that has value.
• Only after listening to the entire presentation would the good listener evaluate the presentation.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener criticizes the speaker’s delivery
• Poor listeners feel justified not listening when they find fault
• Good listeners notice faults, but concentrate on the message.
Listening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener interrupts to challenge or disagree with the speaker, or mentally builds arguments against the speaker’s ideas
• Poor listeners are easily provoked to disagree.
• Good listeners pay attention to the whole idea before they agree or disagree with the speaker.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener listens only for factsfacts.
• Good listeners listen for themesthemes, or meaningful principles being expressed. Not isolated facts.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener takes detailed outlines while listening
• Poor listeners become so involved in taking notes, that they do not hear the message the speaker is conveying.
• Good listeners take down only key ideas, words, and phrases to ensure they hear and understand the message being conveyed.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The ineffective listener creates distractions while the speaker is talking.
• Avoids listening to difficult material
• Reacts emotionally to some messages by tuning out the speaker
• Pretends to listen
• Tends to daydream during long presentations.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The effective listener can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relationships among components of the listening process across a variety of contexts, including the ability to receive, interpret, and respond to messages.
Listening TypesListening TypesThe Good, The Bad, The UGLYThe Good, The Bad, The UGLY
• The effective listener…
• Senses:Senses: Hears what is important
• Interprets:Interprets: Assigns meaning to what is seen,
heard, and felt.
• Evaluates:Evaluates: Determines speaker credibility and
message importance
• Responds:Responds: Reacts to speech usually through
nonverbal cues
• Remember:Remember: Retain parts of speech in memory
Unethical ListenersUnethical Listeners
Fraudulent – pseudolisteners (nodders) Monopolistic – always want to be listened to, but never
want to listen Completers – fill in missed gaps with manufactured
information Selective – zero in only on parts that interest them Avoiders – close their ears to information they’d rather not
deal with Defensive – assume others are criticizing Attackers – wait for you to make a mistake
FeedbackFeedback
Feedback is essential to improving your listening skillsEvaluative feedbackPositive evaluative feedbackNegative evaluative feedbackFormative feedbackNonevaluative feedbackProbingUnderstandingSupportive feedback“I” messages
Effects of FeedbackEffects of Feedback
The feedback given by the respondent in any encounter strongly influences the direction and outcome of the interaction
Feedback usually increases the accuracy with which information is passed from person to person, as well as increases the time required to transmit information
The Role of Critical ThinkingThe Role of Critical Thinking Critical thinking
The careful thought process about what another person has just said to you
The evaluation of the believability of the spoken message
Be ready to challenge and raise questions about what you are listening to
Examine the evidence on which a conclusion is based and establish if valid or contains weaknesses and inconsistencies
Listen carefully in an effort to determine if what you are listening to makes sense and is worth retaining or acting upon
Technology’s Influence on ListeningTechnology’s Influence on Listening
Advances in technology continue to add listening wrinklesFace to face – real-time, synchronous listeningTelephone – option of not having to share the same space
when engage in real-time conversationsVoice mail – serial conversations with people in different
locations and who don’t hear our words when we speak them; asynchronous listening
Caller ID – allows us to decide who we want to listen toCall waiting – makes it possible for us to not miss a call
from someone important to us
Increasing Your Ear PowerIncreasing Your Ear Power
Become aware of the importance and effects of listening
Become aware of the importance and effects of feedback
Realize that effective listening includes both nonjudgmental and critical responses
Focus Your AttentionFocus Your Attention
DistractionsEmotions: Red-flag wordsPhysical factorsOther peopleSpeech-thought differential
Constantly focus your attentionAttention checksNonverbal behaviors that
support listeningCulture can interfere
Set Appropriate GoalsSet Appropriate Goals
Know what you are listening forTo understand contentTo retain contentTo analyze contentTo evaluate contentTo develop empathetic relationships
Adapt goals to each situation or experience
Listening to Understand IdeasListening to Understand Ideas
Locate the central concepts in the speaker’s message
Work to recall the concepts that are most important
Seek to identify key words and phrases that will help you accurately summarize the concepts being discussed
Listening to Retain InformationListening to Retain Information
Focus your attention
Learn how to make certain you have understood what you have heard
Aids to retain informationRepetitionParaphraseVisualization
Listening to Analyze and EvaluateListening to Analyze and Evaluate
Reserve judgment until the comprehension of the situation is complete
Realize you have a choice; do not feel compelled to join the crowd
Listen between the lines
Listening Empathetically and ActivelyListening Empathetically and Actively Empathetic listening can be used to help individuals
understand their own situations and problemsTry to internalize the other person’s feelings and see life
through his or her eyesAcknowledge the seriousness of people’s problemsDraw them out so that they can discuss a problemShow them that you understand the problem
Paraphrase their statements Genuine nonverbal cues
Do not judge; reflect, consider, and restate your impression of the sender’s expressions
Listening to Culture’s InfluenceListening to Culture’s Influence
We need to be more aware of cultural differences in listeningDialogic listening – the awareness of what
happens between people as they respond to each other, work toward shared understanding, and build a relationship
“Culture” can include social, ethnic, organizational, racial, etc.
Reflective-Thinking FrameworkReflective-Thinking Framework A system of decision makingdecision making that is designed to encourage
critical thinking in the group process Reflective-Thinking is generally an agreed-upon structure
consisting of six basic components:
What is the problem-what is it not? What are the facts of the situation? What criteria must the solution meet? What are the possible solutions? Which is the best solution? How can the solution be implemented?
Reflective-Thinking FrameworkReflective-Thinking Framework Reflective thinking is being used when…
The resources of all group members are being usedThe group is using its time to its advantageThe group is emphasizing fact-finding and inquiryMembers are listening to each other and respecting
each otherPressure to conform is being kept to a minimumAtmosphere is supportive, trusting, and cooperative
GROUP THINKGROUP THINK– Groupthink – a dysfunction in which some group members
try to preserve group harmony by suppressing the voicing of the dissenting opinion, or to complete the task quickly
• Groupthink impedes effective group functioning• When all group members try to think alike, no one thinks
very much • It is an extreme method groups use to avoid conflict
– Have you ever censored your own comments because you feared destroying the sense of community in your group?
– Have you ever applied direct pressure to dissenting members in an effort to obtain consensus quickly?
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