Thursday, December 30, 2010

BETTER LISTEN TO LISTEN BETTER


                          BETTER LISTEN TO LISTEN BETTER


            Listening is a complex process. It should not be confused with the physical process of hearing. Listening involves a variety of complex skills. Unfortunately it has not been taken seriously by many, who aspire to improve their linguistic competency and communicative skills,
            Listening is not a passive activity. It is a two- way process. As the characteristics of a good listener remain invariably invisible, the learner of a new language is prone to mistake mere hearing for listening. Unless a learner is consistently trained to listen consciously he or she may find learning a new language a tedious undertaking. This is the reason for many learners giving up after a surge of initial enthusiasm.
         Every learner may have to be sensitized towards LISTENING, so that it becomes a participating prolific activity. 

 The five different aspects of listening are:
  • Hearing
  • Understanding
  • Remembering
  • Interpreting
  • Evaluating  
I t has been scientifically proved that our ability to down load information through listening is quantitatively much more than speaking.

   .Barriers to listening are:
·        Taking listening for granted ( we often forget that we are listening)
·        Failing to concentrate ( Brain can listen to and process 600-800 words/min)

The following are some of the Tips to improve your listening:
v     Always imagine you are going to repeat the speaker’s message.
v      Try to visualize the message.    
v      Know to avoid prejudices
v     Hinder the temptation to rebut
v     Create eye contact
v     Take notes sparingly
v     Respect the speaker
v     Pay attention to surroundings especially the location, size and arrangement of furniture.
v      REMEMBER .Listening is NOT a passive activity!
v     Listen for unspoken fears, concerns, moods, and aspirations.
v     Good listening requires great wisdom.
v     Listen to others with respect and validation.
v     Listen without thinking about how you're going to respond.
v     Listen for tell-tale signs of impending trouble.
v     Listen with positive regard for people's strengths & abilities
v     Always listen for the real bottom line of what some one is saying. Sometimes this calls for listening with the third ear.
v     Be aware how the style and level of impact the speaker uses affect you emotionally.
v     What people see influences them more than what they hear
v     Listen with your eyes as well as your ears to pick up nonverbal clues.
v     Some non-verbal communication takes place at a subconscious level.
v      Pay attention to body movements and gestures..
v      The face sends many non-verbal clues.
v     The eyes send the most non-verbal signals.
Ø      “Looking someone in the eye” is regarded with favor though excessive
eye contact may be regarded as staring, hence rude.
Ø      Focusing eyes straight ahead is regarded generally as no-involved listening.
Ø      Looking up to the right indicates that some one is correlating the information with some relevant facts.
Ø      Looking to the left implies that some one is remembering the past experience.
Ø      Focusing the eyes on the ceiling suggests that some one is analyzing the topic under discussion.
Ø      Casting eyes downward indicates emotional involvement with the message being sent.
Ø      Looking away for an extended period of time shows disengagement and withdrawal from the topic.  
-         Ronald E.Dulek& John S. Fielden (1990)
Studies indicate that some non-verbal communication at our subconscious level and one has very little or no control over the sending or receiving of basic behavioural signals.
 Brownell (2006) identifies the following nonverbal behaviors as behaviors that will say “I LISTEN”
  1. Direct eye contact
  2. Smiling
  3. Nodding
  4. Eyes wide open.
  5. Forward lean
  6. Positive facial expression.


 On the other hand the following behavioral patterns impede effective communication:
  1. Staring
  2. Yawning
  3. Looking away
  4. Nervous habits, fidgeting
  5. Shaking the head negatively
  6. Moving away from speaker
  7. Negative facial expression (such as frowning or pouting) & Crossed arms.
Hence, when we choose to listen, really to listen, we make a conscious decision to focus all our mental energy on a specific source of potentially meaningful sound.