COMM 315 1st Edition Lecture 7 Outline of Last Lecture I. Exam guidelinesII. Sample QuestionsOutline of Current Lecture I. ListeningII. Listening StylesIII. Listening BarriersIV. Improving Listening SkillsV. Ideas to Enhance ListeningVI. Improving Empathic Listening SkillsCurrent LectureChapter 5: Listening and Responding Skills- Listening- a complex process of selecting, attending to, creating meaning from, remembering, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages. There is a process to listening:o Selecting- the process of choosing one sound as you sort through the various sounds competing for your attentiono Attending- focusing on the sound you select. Can be fleeting, since it is sometimes selectiveo Understanding- the process of assigning meaning to the sounds you select and to which you attend.  People understand best if they can relate what they are hearing to something they already know.  The greater the similarity between individuals, the greater the likelihood of more accurate understanding.  You understand best what you also experienceo Remembering- the process of recalling information.  Long term memory includes events, conversations and other data that are significant. Tend to remember dramatic and vital information, as well as seemingly inconsequential details connected with such information. o Responding- the process of confirming your understanding of a message Can be as simple as body position, eye contact, head nods to respond to the message.- Hearing- the physiological process of decoding soundsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Listening Styles- preferred way of making sense out of spoken messages that you hear. There are4 listening styleso Relational listeners are those who prefer to focus on the emotions and feelings communicated verbally and nonverbally by others.  Tend to like to listen to people’s feeling and emotions.  Focus on emphasizing; have greater skill in understanding the thoughts and feelings of otherso Analytical listeners are those who withhold judgment, listen to all sides of an issue and wait until they hear the facts before reaching a conclusion  Focus on facts and tend to listen to the entire message before processing and making an assessment about it.  Likes information to be clear, well organized and rich.o Critical listeners are those who prefer to listen for the facts and evidence to support key ideas and an underlying logic  They also listen for errors, inconsistencies, and discrepancies. Not necessarily listening for the whole message.  Very comfortable with listening to long messages and honing in on the facts, catching errors in the overall logic and reasoning that is being used to reach a conclusion.  Engage in second guessing (questioning the ideas and assumptions underlying a message; assessing whether the message is true or falseo Task-Oriented Listeners are those who look at the overall structure of the message to see what action needs to be taken  They also like efficient, clear and briefer messages.  Don’t like to listen to rambling, descriptive messages that don’t seem to have a point.  Focus on verbs Want to do something with the information they hearo Knowing a person’s listening style and our own can help adopt a listening style that best describes that situation. This also allows us to communicate messages other people are more likely to listen to- Listening Barrierso Being Self-absorbed Self-absorbed- focusing on getting their needs met and are oblivious to the needs of others. Conversational narcissism- focusing on a personal agendas and self-absorption rather than on the needs and ideas of others Selective listening- letting pre-fixed biases, prejudices, expectations, and stereotypes cause us to hear what we want to hear, instead of listening to what a speaker actually said. By noting when you’re drifting from a message we can try to listen with greater energy and focus on the message being deliveredo Unchecked emotions Emotional noise- for of communication interference caused by emotional arousal Overcome by using self talk to manage emotionso Criticizing the Speaker Ambush listener- a person who is overly critical and judgmental when listening to others. Wait to purposely criticize the speaker.- Clothing, body style, weight can influence our ability to fully listen to theperson giving the message as well Overcome by focusing on the message, not the messengero Differing Speech Rate and Thought Rate The average person speaks at 125 words a minute. As a listener, you’re able to process 600-800 words per minute.  You can turn your listening speed into an advantage if you use the extra time to summarize what a speaker is saying. Overcome by using the time difference between speech rate and thought rate tomentally summarize the messageo Information Overload We are constantly bombarded by technology and information interruptions.  Information overload can prevent us from being able to communicate effectivelywith people around us.  Overcome by realizing when you or your partner is tired or distracted and not ready to listeno External Noise Literal sounds in the environment can make it hard to focus on the message being delivered.  Overcome by taking charge of the listening environment by eliminating distractionso Listener Apprehension- the fear of misunderstanding, misinterpreting, or being unable to adjust to the spoken messages of others.  Overcome by concentrating on the message as you mentally summarize what you hear- Improving Listening Skillso Improve Listening Comprehension Skills Stop- Put your own thoughts aside- Be there mentally as well as physically- Make a conscious, mindful effort to listen- Take adequate time to listen; don’t rush the speaker; be patient- Be open minded Look- nonverbal messages are powerful.- Meta-message- a message about a message; the message a person is expressing via nonverbal means (such as by facial expression, eye contact, and posture) about the message articulated with words.- Establish eye contact- Try not to be distracted by nonverbal cues that could prevent you from interpreting the message correctly Listen- work to become an active rather a passive listener- Passive listener- not really engaged in the