The document discusses listening skills and active listening. It defines the objective of listening as receiving information, understanding effectively, enhancing clarity, and empathizing. It describes five steps to active listening: pay attention to the speaker, show you are listening through body language and verbal cues, provide feedback by paraphrasing and asking questions, defer judgement until the speaker is finished, and respond appropriately. It also discusses common barriers to listening such as distractions, differences in speech and processing rates, unclear speech, and lack of attention shown in body language.

2. Listening Skills
Presented By
Dr Abhijit Sharma
Professor, IIBM

3. LISTENING SKILLS
Communication Skills

5.  to receive information
 to understand effectively
 to enhance clarity
 to empathize
Objective of Listening is…
Communication Skills

6. Purpose of Listening
 To specifically focus on the messages being communicated,
avoiding distractions and preconceptions.
 To gain a full and accurate understanding into the speakers point of
view and ideas.
 To critically assess what is being said. (See our page on Critical
Thinking for more).
 To observe the non-verbal signals accompanying what is being
said to enhance understanding.
 To show interest, concern and concentration.
 To encourage the speaker to communicate fully, openly and
honestly.
 To develop an selflessness approach, putting the speaker first.
 To arrive at a shared and agreed understanding and acceptance of
both sides views.

7. 5 steps on active listening
Pay attention
 Give the speaker your undivided attention, and
acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal
communication also "speaks" loudly.
 Look at the speaker directly.
 Put aside distracting thoughts.
 Don't mentally prepare a rebuttal!
 Avoid being distracted by environmental factors. For
example, side conversations.
 "Listen" to the speaker's body language

8. Show that you are listening
 Use your own body language and gestures to show
that you are engaged.
 Nod occasionally.
 Smile and use other facial expressions.
 Make sure that your posture is open and interested.
 Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal
comments like yes, and "uh huh."

9. Provide Feedback
 Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and
beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role
is to understand what is being said. This may require
you to reflect on what is being said and to ask
questions.
 Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing. "What
I'm hearing is... ," and "Sounds like you are saying... ,"
are great ways to reflect back.
 Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you
mean when you say... ." "Is this what you mean?"
 Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.

10. Defer Judgement
 Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker
and limits full understanding of the message.
 Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking
questions.
 Don't interrupt with counterarguments.

11. Respond Appropriately
 Active listening is designed to encourage respect and
understanding. You are gaining information and
perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker
or otherwise putting her down.
 Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
 Assert your opinions respectfully.
 Treat the other person in a way that you think they
would want to be treated.

12. Barrier in listening
 For example, one common problem is that instead of listening closely to what
someone is saying, we often get distracted after a sentence or two and instead
start to think about what we are going to say in reply or think about unrelated
things. This means that we do not fully listen to the rest of the speaker’s
message.
 This problem is attributed, in part, to the difference between average speech
rate and average processing rate. Average speech rates are between 125 and
175 words a minute whereas we can process on average between 400 and
800 words a minute. It is a common habit for the listener to use the spare time
while listening to daydream or think about other things, rather than focusing on
what the speaker is saying.
 Of course the clarity of what the speaker is saying can also affect how well we
listen. Generally we find it easier to focus if the speaker is fluent in their
speech, has a familiar accent, and speaks at an appropriate loudness for the
situation. It is more difficult, for example, to focus on somebody who is
speaking very fast and very quietly, especially if they are conveying complex
information.
 We may also get distracted by the speaker’s personal appearance or by what
someone else is saying, which sounds more interesting.
 These issues not only affect you, but you are likely to show your lack of
attention in your body language.

13.  Avoid distractions
 Do not interrupt unnecessarily
 Be active (show interest)
 Paraphrase what you’ve heard
 Throw an echo
So, while Listening…
Communication Skills

14.  The Listener keeps looking at the speaker
 The Listener’s body is in ‘open’ position
 The listener is smiling with a pleasant &
encouraging expression
 Listener looks relaxed but alert, neither tense
nor slouching
 Listener utters humming sounds
What Listening Looks like...
Communication Skills