Principles of effective_listening

Here ,you will see the detailed explaination of principle of effective listening.Slides are attractive as well as simple.

1. Every good conversation starts with good listening

2. L -look interested-get interested i - involve yourself by responding S - stay on target T - test your understanding E - evaluate the message N - neutralize your feelings

3. What is listening Listening  is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process . Listening  is key to all effective communication. Without the ability to  listen  effectively, messages are easily misunderstood.

4. Principles of Effective Listening

5. 1. Stop Talking Don't talk, listen “ If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues and one ear.” -Mark twain When somebody else is talking listen to what they are saying, do not interrupt, talk over them or finish their sentences for them.  Stop, just listen.   When the other person has finished talking you may need to clarify to ensure you have received their message accurately .

6. 2 . Put the Speaker at Ease Help the speaker to feel free to speak. Remember their needs and concerns. Nod or use other gestures or words to encourage them to continue.  Maintain eye contact but don’t stare – show you are listening and understanding what is being said.

7. 3 . Remove Distractions Focus on what is being said. Don’t doodle, shuffle papers, look out the window, pick your fingernails or similar. Avoid unnecessary interruptions. These behaviours disrupt the listening process and send messages to the speaker that you are bored or distracted.

8. 4 . Empathise Try to understand the other person’s point of view. Look at issues from their perspective. Let go of preconceived ideas. By having an open mind we can more fully empathise with the speaker. If the speaker says something that you disagree with then wait and construct an argument to counter what is said but keep an open mind to the views and opinions of others.

9. 5 . Be Patient A pause, even a long pause, does not necessarily mean that the speaker has finished. Be patient and let the speaker continue in their own time, sometimes it takes time to formulate what to say and how to say it. Never interrupt or finish a sentence for someone.

10. 6 . Avoid Personal Prejudice Try to be impartial. Don't become irritated and don't let the person’s habits or mannerisms distract you from what the speaker is really saying. Everybody has a different way of speaking - some people are for example more nervous or shy than others, some have regional accents or make excessive arm movements, some people like to pace whilst talking - others like to sit still.  Focus on what is being said and try to ignore styles of delivery.

11. 7 . Prepare Yourself to Listen Relax. Focus on the speaker.  Put other things out of mind.  The human mind is easily distracted by other thoughts – what’s for lunch, what time do I need to leave to catch my train, is it going to rain – try to put other thoughts out of mind and concentrate on the messages that are being communicated.

12. 8. Listen to the Tone Volume and tone both add to what someone is saying. A good speaker will use both volume and tone to their advantage to keep an audience attentive; everybody will use pitch, tone and volume of voice in certain situations – let these help you to understand the emphasis of what is being said.

13. 9. Listen for Ideas – Not Just Words You need to get the whole picture, not just isolated bits and pieces. Maybe one of the most difficult aspects of listening is the ability to link together pieces of information to reveal the ideas of others. With proper concentration, letting go of distractions, and focus this becomes easier.

14. 10. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-movements can all be important. We don’t just listen with our ears but also with our eyes – watch and pick up the additional information being transmitted via non-verbal communication.

15. Barriers to effective listening Hearing problems Rapid thoughts Overload of message Egotism Perceptions Lack of training Lack of interest Impatience Criticising mind

16. Hearing problems Hearing deficiency interrupts in the way to listening. But such problems is psychological not intentional. Usually such type of person are very few in the organization. By knowing their problems, they can be medically treated.

17. Overload of message It is very difficult to digest the overloaded message. When message is lengthy or illogically in sequencing, it becomes more painful to retain the concertation. As a result listening becomes ineffective.

18. Egotism One of the common barriers to listening is egotism of self-centred attitude. Thinking that my own ideas are more important than those of other person or “myself is always right” and the other is wrong, is the major stumbling block in the way of listening. Listening requires open mind and heart fee from negative emotions. If the mind is closed for the other person’s message, there will be no listening

19. Lack of interest Lack of interest is the common barrier of listening process. People listen not what the other is saying but what interest them. If the listener has no interest in the subject, it shall bore him or make him dull and as a result, the process of listening shall suffer.

20. Impatience Impatience is also barrier in the listening process. Listening requires patience. When we have no patience, we do not listen but wait to talk and convey what we think. With this dialogue does not take place. There is nothing frustrating when in discussion, one part is constantly using his or her own frame of reference, talking about his or her own experiences and imposing that frame of reference upon the speaker. With this competitive desire to talk, communication process is intrrupted

21. How to make listening effective Stop talking as you can not listen during talking. Watch and witness your body and mind to ensure that you are free from negative emotions which may interrupt the listening process, and you are feeling released and revitalated . Free your mind from presumption and preconceived ideas by being aware of them. Avoid the external distraction if there is any like playing of T.V. or radio, noise in the near by place, attending somebody else, etc.

22. Put the talker at ease with smiling face and sweet words, so that he can communicate frankly and fearlessly. Demonstrate your interest in the talker’s speech through facial expressions or active questioning, related with the topic Be patient and allow the talker sufficient time to clarify his point. Do not interrupt him. Suspend the judgement for the time being to avoid premature evaluation and judgement. Be careful that your listening is not selective and partial, but total and deep