Chapter 7 Listening in Groups 1 The Challenge of Listening in Groups most people overestimate how well they listen Effective listening in one to one situations is challenging Listening is more difficult in groups that in almost any other communication situation because there are multiple speakers perspectives and goals Instead of concentrating on what one person says you must pay attention to everyone a The Nature of Listening i Listening is the ability to understand analyze respect and appropriately respond to the meaning of another person s spoken and nonverbal messages ii Listening is our number one communication activity b The Need for Better Listening i Several studies report that immediately after listening to a short talk most of us cannot accurately report 50 percent of what was said ii Surveys of business leaders often point to listening as the communication skill most lacking in new employees iii The key to effective leadership is listening to people c The Habits of Listeners i A habit is something you do frequently and have done for so long that you ve stopped thinking about why and how you do it ii We believe that effective listening can become an enduring habit something that becomes second nature to you iii Covey states that habits require 1 Knowledge what to do and why to do it 2 Skills how to do it 3 Desire want to do it iv We provide guiding principles of good listening knowledge and explain how to listen skills Yet we know that the desire must come from you v Effective listening relies as much on your attitude and motivation as on your knowledge and skills vi Poor Listening Habits 1 Psuedolistening do you fake attention or pretend to listen when your mind is elsewhere you re bored or you think it pleases the speaker 2 Selective Listening if you don t like or agree with a member do you avoid listening or look for faults in what the speaker says 3 Superficial Listening Do you pay more attention to the way members look or how they speak rather than to what they say 4 Defensive Listening Do you interpret critical remarks by group members as personal attacks 5 Disruptive Listening Do you interrupt members while they re speaking 2 Types of Listening HURIER Listening Model emphasizes that listening is a complex process and skill Six different types of listening you can call on to meet the challenge of working in groups a Listening to Hear i Listening to hear is the ability to make clear aural distinctions among the sounds and words in a language ii Answering the following questions can help you understand why hearing is the gateway to effective listening 1 Can you make clear aural distinctions among the sounds and words in your language 2 Do you often ask group members to repeat what they ve said or misunderstand what they ve said because you did not hear them accurately 3 Do you notice nonverbal messages expressed in members facial expressions gestures posture movement and vocal sounds sighs groans laughter gasps b Listening to Understand i Listening to understand also known as comprehensive listening focuses on accurately grasping the meaning of group members spoken and nonverbal messages ii Answering the following questions can help you focus on several characteristics of effective comprehensive listening 1 Do you understand the meaning of words spoken by 2 Do you generally interpret nonverbal behavior others accurately 3 Can you accurately identify the main ideas and evidence used to support a group member s claim c Listening to Remember i Listening to remember is the ability to accurately recall what ii Your ability to remember directly affects how well you listen iii Here are a few suggestions that with practice can improve you hear your memory 1 Repeat repeat important ideas or information after you hear it say it aloud if you can 2 Associate associate a word phrase or idea with something that describes it 3 Visualize visualize a word phrase or idea 4 Use mnemonics a mnemonic is a memory aid that is based on something simple like a pattern or rhyme d Listening to Interpret i Listening to interpret is a primary factor in empathetic listening where your ability to recognize and respond appropriately to emotional meanings is critical ii Empathetic listening goes beyond comprehending what a person means it focuses on understanding a member s situation feelings or motives iii By not listening for feelings you may overlook the most important part of a message iv As an empathetic listener you don t have to agree with or feel the same way as other group members but you do have to try to understand the type and intensity of feelings that those members are experiencing v Empathetic listening is difficult but it also is the pinnacle of listening because it demands fine skill and exquisite tuning into another s mood and feeling vi Answering the following questions can help you understand the scope of empathetic listening 1 Do you show interest and concern about other group members 2 Does your nonverbal behavior communicate friendliness and trust 3 Do you avoid highly critical reactions to others 4 Do you avoid talking about your own experiences and feelings when someone else is describing theirs i Listening to evaluate also known as analytical listening requires critical thinking skills to analyze what you hear as in a group discussion ii Analytical listeners understand why they accept or reject another member s ides and suggestions iii Recognizing that another group member is trying to persuade rather than merely inform is the first step in improving your evaluative listening iv Answering the following questions can help you assess your ability to listen analytically 1 Do you recognize persuasive strategies 2 Can you tell when a group member appeals to your emotions and or to your critical thinking ability 3 Do you know how to assess the quality and validity of arguments and evidence e Listening to Evaluate f Listening to Respond when you listen to respond you are likely to react verbally and nonverbally You may ask a question provide support offer advice or share your opinion There is a critical responding skill that can help you make sure you fully understand someone else s meaning That skill is called paraphrasing and is vital to becoming a highly effective listener i The Nature of Paraphrasing ii The Complexities of Paraphrasing 1 Paraphrasing is the ability to restate what people say in a way that indicates you understand them 2 When you paraphrase you go beyond the