Types of Listening

Listening is more than just hearing words. Listening is an active process by which students receive, create meaning from and react to spoken and or nonverbal messages. As such, it is an indispensable part of the communication process and should not be estranged from the other aspects of language. Listening comprehension resembles reading comprehension. Verbally grasping the spoken message before, during and after a presentation enhances listening comprehension. Writing, in turn, clarifies and records the spoken message.

Let us now know about various types of listening.

Types of listening :

1. Comprehensive Listening : Listening to get the content of the message.

2. Critical Listening : Listening to evaluate the message.

3. Appreciative Listening : Listening to enjoyment.

4. Therapeutic Listening : Listening in order to support others but not to judge them.

Characteristics of Competent Listeners:

Competent listening requires complete attention of the listener. The competent listener wants to comprehend what is said and actively tries to apply meaning to the speaker's verbal and nonverbal language. The competent listener responds properly to what is said and fosters a productive exchange. The meaning generated depends upon the listener's desire and ability to engage in thinking and listening, as well as on the prior knowledge of the topic. Competent listeners are able to:

• Consider listening as a means of learning and pleasure.

• Conclude their own purposes for listening.

• Identify their responsibility to the speaker and listen without distracting the speaker.

• Concentrate and not become diverted.

• Send proper feedback to the speaker

• Respond to what the speaker says.

• Inter-link their prior knowledge and the information presented by the speaker .

• Assess the speaker's message and cause.

• Try to guess the speaker's purpose and conclude the speaker's plan of organization.

• Recognize transitions / signal words and phrases, and follow the sequence of ideas spoken.

• Study and understand the speaker's nonverbal cues(e.g., smiles, frowns, body movements ) and use them to improve their understanding of the speaker's message.

• Distinguish the speaker's main point(s) or idea(s) and identify the justifying details and examples.

• Differentiate facts from perspectives.

Tips for Effective Listening

Do's

• Be psychologically prepared to listen.

• Assess the speech, not the speakers.

• Be impartial to the speaker by depersonalizing feelings.

• Avoid distractions by closing off sound sources.

• Be open minded.

• Ask questions to simplify and confirm thoughts.

• Summarize from time to time.

• Show right non – verbal signals from time to time

• Avoid preconceived ideas and prejudices.

Don'ts

• Pay undue importance to the vocabulary as you can use the context to understand the meaning

• Pay too much concentration to the accessories and attire of the speaker.

• Organize your response while the speaker is speaking.

• Get diverted by outside influences.

• Concentrate too hard

• Disrupt too often.

• Show tediousness even to an uninteresting speaker.