Effective Listening
Uploaded by keleigh on Dec 09, 2007
Listening is one of the most effective tools of communication; right next to speaking that is. However, if you don’t listen to everything the person is saying or if you don’t clarify what the other person IN the conversation is saying you may not get the full meaning of what they are saying. To become a better listener, you need to understand the four types of listening; passive listening, competitive listening, active listening and reflective listening.
Passive listening is one of two types of listening where you’re least likely to get the full message or understand what is being said. Passive listening is one way communication in which the receiver does not provide feedback or ask questions and may or may not understand the sender’s message. Some examples of passive listening are when you’re listening to a radio, television, or a teacher who doesn’t ask for questions (LE II, 18). Passive listening is extremely common in today’s world because of the amount of television children watch- people watch television, or the news and hear something but aren't able to ask about it, so they may misunderstand. This is how many rumors are started.
The second type of listening where you’re least likely to get the full message or understand what is being said is competitive listening. Competitive listening takes place when the listening is not listening closely and is more concerned about how they’re going to respond than what the other person is saying. You listen only long enough to hear what you think is the important information, and then you’re thinking about what you’re going to say next. The most common example of competitive listening is when you’re in an argument. You’re so set out on ‘winning’ that while the other person is talking (or in some cases, yelling which is worst) most of your attention is turned towards figuring out what you’re going to say next and you can’t wait for a break in the conversation so you can jump in and add what you have to say.
Active listening is the next type of listening and is the most common type of listening. Active listening is genuine, two way conversation where both sides are contributing. The receiver is paying complete attention to what the other person is saying and is thinking about the information they are being given- they also ask questions. In active listening,...