Download 3. listening skills

1.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
The progression of transmission and interchange of ideas, facts, feelings or actions
is known as “Process of Communication”. It includes the giving; getting and
sharing of information with others may be oral or written.
THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATION
The word communication has its root in the Latin word “communicare”, which
means “to share”. In brief communication can be defined as the exchange of
information, ideas, and knowledge between sender and receiver through an
accepted code of symbols.
THE COMMUNICATION CYCLE
The following diagram shows the process taking place during effective communication:
Sender
Message
Response
Encoded
decoded
Sent
Receiver
Channel
message
Received
Message
message
Feedback
The sender encodes the message and sends it through a channel. This channel is
nothing but the language used. The receiver receives the message, decodes it, and
acts on it. If the message received is the same as the message sent, there will be a
response; if not, there has been a breakdown of communication. This may happen
because of “noise”.
The transmission of the receiver’s response to the sender is called feedback.
Feedback is the indicator of effective communication. Communication always
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takes place in a well defined set-up. This is called the communication environment.
A classroom is the communication environment when a teacher delivers lectures
to students.
In brief, the essentials of effective communication are:
1.
A common communication environment
2.
Cooperation between the sender and receiver
3.
Selection of correct channel
4.
Correct encoding and decoding of the message
5.
Receipt of the desired response and feedback
Noise
When you communicate, you desire that the message received should be the
same as the message sent. But it is not always the same. Sometimes this is due to
the presence of noise. Noise is defined as any unplanned interference in the
communication environment, which caused barrier in the transmission of the
message.
Noise can be classified as channel and semantic. Channel noise is any interference
in the mechanics of the medium used to send a message. Semantic noise is
generated internally, resulting from errors in the message itself.
GENERAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Communication is part and parcel of one’s everyday life whether it is general or
technical. Characteristics of general and technical communication are as under:
General Communication
1.
Contains a general Message
2.
Informal in style and approach
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3.
No set pattern of communication
4.
Mostly oral
5.
Not always for a specific audience
6.
Doesn’t involve the use of technical vocabulary or graphics
Technical Communication
1.
Contains a technical Message
2.
Mostly formal
3.
Follows a set pattern
4.
Both oral and written
5.
Always for specific audience
6.
Frequently involves jargon, graphics etc.
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LANGUAGE AS A TOOL OF COMMUNICATION
Effective communication is made possible with the help of language. It requires
reasonably good command over language. Language employs a combination of
words to communicate ideas in a meaningful way. By changing the word order in a
sentence, you can change its meaning, and even make it meaningless.
Characteristics of Language
According to the ideas put forward by eminent linguists:
Language is Artificial
Language is created by people. It does not exist in isolation or outside the minds of
people. It is created by human as they need it. Every symbol is attached to a
particular thought or thing, called a referent which is created by humans. That’s
why language is Artificial.
Language is Restricted
When we translate our thoughts into language, some meaning is lost in the
process. No symbol or word can transmit the exact reality. That is one reason you
sometimes find yourself saying that you cannot find words to express your
feelings. This is because language is restricted. In other words, it has limitations.
Language is Abstract
Language is abstract as it represents generalized ideas of things or thoughts. The
idea which the word represents is different every time. A ‘table’ can be of
different shapes and sizes, and still be called a table. This happens because
meanings get associated with symbols and users keep expanding the range of
meanings.
Language is Arbitrary
There is no direct relationship between a word and the idea or object it represents
because language keeps on changing to include new concepts and words can
attach a number of specific and arbitrary meanings.
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Language is Creative
Language is very creative and it can create wonder. Every year number of words
can be added; taken from different languages through the following processes:
1.
Borrowing - taking over words from other languages like ‘alcohol’ form
‘Arabic’
2.
Constructing Portmanteau Words – words made by combining the sound and
meaning of two different words (netiquette = net + etiquette)
3.
Back Formation – where a word of one type, usually a noun is reduced to a
word of another type, usually a verb like ‘opt’ from ‘option’
Language is Repetitive
Any language has characteristic of repetition and redundancy. This may make or
spoil the communication. Moreover excessive and unnecessary repetition may
lead to verbosity or wordiness without contributing to the meaning.
Language is Recursive
Recursiveness is the characteristic of language which enables you to generate any
number of sentences using the same basic grammatical templates. It also allows
you to express any idea, thought or feeling using the same finite vocabulary.
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LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION
Human communication takes place at various levels
1.
Extrapersonal Communication
It is a communication between human beings and non human entities. This
requires perfect coordination between sender and receiver. When your pet dog
comes to you wagging its tail; as soon as you return home is an example of
extrapersonal communication.
2.
Intrapersonal Communication
This takes place within the individual. For example when you “feel hot”, the
information is sent to brain and you may decide to “turn on the cooler”,
responding the instructions sent from brain to hand. Here relevant organ is
sender, electrochemical impulse is message and brain is receiver. Next the brain
assumes the role of sender and sends the feedback that you should switch on the
cooler. So this process can be termed as intrapersonal communication.
3.
Interpersonal Communication
It is a sharing of information among people. It includes a few participants who are
close to one another. Here many sensory channels are used and immediate
feedback can be obtained. Also, the roles of sender and receiver keep alternating.
Interpersonal communication can be formal and informal.
4.
Organizational Communication
Communication in an organization takes place at different levels. Since a large
number of employees are involved in several activities, the need to communicate
becomes greater in an organization. This communication can further be divided
into:
Internal – operational
External – operational
Personal
5.
Mass Communication
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There are several mass media such as journals, television, newspapers, internet
which mediate such communication to the large audience. Here audience is
heterogeneous and anonymous with impersonal approach. This type of
communication is more persuasive in nature than any other form of
communication and requires greatest care on the part of sender.
THE FLOW OF COMMUNICATION
The information flows in an organization both formally and informally in various
directions.
1.
Downward Communication
Downward communication flows from a manager down the chain of command.
When he informs, instructs, or advises his subordinates, the communication flows
in a downward pattern. It is used to convey routine information, new policies or
procedures, etc through memos, notices, interactions and so on.
2.
Upward Communication
When subordinates send reports to their superiors, the communication flows
upward. This type of communication keeps managers aware of how employees
feel about their jobs, colleagues and organization. Managers rely on upward
communication form making certain decisions or solving problems.
3.
Lateral or Horizontal Communication
This form of communication takes place among peer groups or hierarchically
equivalent employees. Such communication is often necessary to facilitate
coordination, save time, and bridge the communication gap among various
departments.
4.
Diagonal or Cross-wise Communication
This flows in all directions and cuts across functions and levels in an organization.
This process is quick and efficient. When a sales manager communicates directly
with VP (production), they set an example of diagonal communication. The
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increased use of emails encourages cross-wise communication. There is no doubt
that it is quick and efficient.
COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
Communication Networks emerge out of combination of vertical and horizontal
channels
Formal Network Models
There are five communication networks that come into play in formal
communication networks.
1.
The Chain Network represents vertical hierarchy in which communication
can flow only upward or downward.
2.
The Y Network is at multilevel hierarchy and a combination of horizontal and
vertical flow of communication.
3.
The wheel network refers to several subordinates reporting to a superior.
This is a combination of horizontal and diagonal flow of communication.
4.
The circle network allows employees to interact with adjacent members.
5.
The all-channel network, which is least structure, enables each employee to
communicate freely with others.
Informal (grapevine) Network Models
Informal network is very active in almost every organization. It can broadly be
classified in four patterns.
1.
In the pattern of single strand, message is passed from one person to
another through single strand.
2.
In the gossip network one person passes information to all others.
3.
In t0he probability type of network, each person tells others at random.
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4.
The cluster refers to that flow of information in which some people tell a
selected few of the others. It is most popular pattern of grapevine
communication.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Technical communication plays very important role in an organization. All the
managerial and administrative activities involve different levels and networks of
communication.
The success of any organization is largely recognized by the quality and quantity of
information flowing through its personnel.
Technical communication can be divided into two parts: oral and written with due
importance. The forms of both are tabulated below:
Oral Forms
Face
to
face
conversations
Meetings
Conferences
Instructions
GD
Video Conferences
Telephone
Conversations
Seminars
Dictation
Presentations
Interviews
Voice conferences
Written Forms
Memos
Letters
Emails
Notices
Newsletters
Research Papers
Bulletins
Faxes
Circulars
Reports
Proposals
In house journals
In brief communication enables employees to work together. It is a vehicle
through which management performs all its functions. Therefore its importance
can never be ignored.
Possible Questions
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What is the process of communication? Explain communication cycle.
What is noise? Explain the difference between general and technical
communication.
Describe language as a tool of communication.
What are levels of communication?
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Explain the flow of communication.
Explain in brief the communication networks.
What is the importance of technical communication?
2.
VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION
INTRODUCTION
Communication is effective only if it creates the desired impact on the receiver
through verbal and non-verbal mode. But many elements cause hindrances in its
effectiveness.
What is Noise?
Any interference in the message sent and message received leads to the
production of “noise”. Noise here does not mean disharmony, but a break in the
communication process. The term communication barrier is an expansion of the
concept noise. A noise is a break in the communication process.
CLASSIFICATION OF BARRIERS
Communication barriers can create many gaps in our written and spoken
communications. They are:
1.
INTRAPERSONAL BARRIERS
Individuals are unique because of their idiosyncrasies. This is because of
differences in experience, education, value and personality. Each of us interprets
the same information in different ways as our thinking varies. Following are the
causes lead to these interpersonal barriers:

Wrong Assumptions
Many barriers branch from wrong assumptions. Wrong assumptions are
made because the sender or the receiver does not have adequate knowledge
about each other’s background or entertains certain false concept. A skilled
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communicator keeps these issues in mind to prevent them from becoming
barriers.
Varied Perceptions
Varied perceptions lead to much confusion among the sender and receiver
because individuals in an organization also perceive situations in different
ways. So the best way to overcome this barrier is to step back and take a
wider perspective of the issue.
Differing Background
No two personas have a similar background. Even siblings differ in their
genetic inheritance. People vary in terms of their education, culture,
language, environment, age, sex, financial status etc. To enhance your
communication skills, it is necessary to know the background of your
audience. You can accordingly use that information to construct your
message.
Wrong Inferences
Wrong inferences take place when there is a failure in understanding what
actually exists and what actually assumed. Inferences are more dramatic
than facts, so they give more scope for gossip and rumor to society. So
inferences supported by facts are essential for all.
Impervious Categories
In general, we react positively to information only if it is in consonance with
our own views and attitudes. Conversely, when we receive information that
does not conform to our personal views, habits and attitudes, or appears
unfavorable to us, we tend to react negatively or even disbelieve. So people
who are very rigid in their opinions may face problems in communicating
effectively.
Categorical Thinking
People who feel that they “know it all” are called pansophists. This type of
thinking exists in people who feel that they know everything about a
particular subject, and therefore refuse to accept any further information on
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that topic. This type of thinking can pose a major barrier, leading to a failure
in communication.
In brief the good communicators should
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Be non-judgmental
Be empathetic
Do not assume anything
Stick to the subject
Listen and above all paraphrase
2.
INTERPERSONAL BARRIERS
Intrapersonal barriers stem from an individual’s attitudes or habits, whereas
interpersonal barriers occur due to the inappropriate transaction of words
between two or more people. Interpersonal barriers creep in as a result of the
limitations in the communications sills of encoder or decoder, or both.
The most common reasons for interpersonal barriers are:
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Limited Vocabulary
An inadequate vocabulary can be a major hindrance in communication.
Therefore, one should make constant efforts to increase one’s vocabulary by
regularly reading a variety of books and listening to native speakers of the
language.
Incongruity of verbal and nonverbal messages
Misinterpreted non-verbal communication acts as another barrier to
effective information gathering. Non verbal communication usually enhances
and enlivens verbal communication. Non verbal cues provide a deeper
insight into the sender’s message. Physical appearance often serves as one of
the most important non-verbal cues. It can be improved by
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 Dress according to the occasion
 Wear neat and clean cloths
 Choose an appropriate hairstyle
 Wear clean and polished shoes.
Emotional outbursts
Emotions are an integral part of our being, whether in business or personal
encounters. By sharpening self-awareness, intuition, and empathy, emotions
can help in developing an environment highly conducive to good
communication. It is important to maintain one’s composure in all kinds of
communications. Viewing issues from different perspectives helps develop
objectivity and rational thinking, which in turn can eliminate many of the
causes of hostility or defensiveness.
Communication selectivity
If you are the receiver in a communication process, and you pay attention
only to a part of the message, you are imposing a barrier known as
communication selectivity. You do this because you are interested only in
that part of the message which may be of use to you. In such a situation, the
sender is not at fault. It is the receiver who breaks the flow of
communication.
Cultural variations
This is one of the main factors in communication failure. To compete
successfully in today’s globalized business environment, we must overcome
the communication inadequacy arising from different languages and
cultures.
Poor listening skills
A common obstacle to communication is poor listening habits. The various
distractions that hinder listening can be emotional disturbances,
indifference, aggressiveness, and wandering attention. Listening requires
careful attention and accurate decoding of the signals received from the
speaker so as to improve listening skills.
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
Noise in the channel
Noise interferes greatly in the transmission of signals. Noise is any unwanted
signal which acts as a hindrance in the flow of communication. It is not
necessarily limited to cacophony, but also occurs in visual, audio-visual,
written, physical or psychological forms. All these forms of noise
communicate extraneous matter which may relieve the receiver’s interest in
the message.
3.
ORGANIZATIONAL BARRIERS
Communication barriers are not only limited to an individual or two people but
exist in entire organizations. Every organization has its own communication
techniques and nurtures its own communication climate. In organizations with
many levels of communication, messages have a greater chance of being distorted.
This occurs due to poor listening, lack of concentration or a person’s tendency to
leave out part of the message.
The main organizational barriers are enumerated below:
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Too many transfer stations
The more links there are in a communication chain, the greater are the
chances of communication failure.
Fear of superiors
In rigidly structured organizations, fear or terror of the superiors prevents
subordinates from speaking frankly. An employee may not be pleased with
the way his boss works but is unable to put his point across because of losing
his boss’s goodwill. An open environment is conducive to increasing the
confidence and goodwill of a communicator.
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Negative Tendencies
Many organizations create work groups. Nevertheless, on some occasions, it
is possible to have a communication barrier due to confliction of ideas
between members and non-members of a group. This sometimes generates
the negative mindset which can be avoided with open discussion.
Use of Inappropriate Media
Some of the common media used in organization are telephones, facsimile
machines, emails, computer presentation, teleconferencing, video
conferencing. While choosing the medium to send messages consider the
following factors:
 Time
 Cost
 Type of message
 Intended audience
So usually a mix of media is best for effective communication.
Information Overload
One of the major problems faced by organizations today is the availability of
huge amounts of data which are difficult to channelize. Information overload
brings fatigue, and disinterest. So quality information should be given more
important than quantity. Moreover screening of information would reduce
the burden of information.
Keeping mind the following measures one can improve upon verbal and non verbal
communication:
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Create an open communication environment
Always keep the receiver in mind
Avoid having too many transfer stations
Do not communicate when you are emotionally disturbed
Be aware of diversity in culture, language etc.
Use appropriate non verbal cues
Select the most suitable medium
Analyze the feedback
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___________________________________________________________________
___________
Possible Questions
1.
What are intrapersonal barriers?
2.
Describe interpersonal barriers.
3.
Explain organizational barriers.
___________________________________________________________________
A S Chauhan
3.
LISTENING SKILLS
Introduction
Communication includes four different skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and
Writing. We must have good command over all the skills so as to improve our
communication. Listening is one of the neglected skills. We listen to a lot but never
carefully. It is rightly said by Hemingway that “I like to listen, I have learned a great
deal from listening carefully”.
Types of Listening
Following is the list of listening with brief description of each:
1.
Active Listening : It shows interest and encourages continued speaking
2.
Appreciative Listening : Listening to any piece that likes you to listen falls
under this
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3.
Attentive Listening : includes the listening with great concentration so as to
learn and get something
4.
Biased Listening : It is listening to something through the filter of personal
bias
5.
Casual Listening : is without showing much interest
6.
Comprehension & Content Listening : is to understand and learn something
7.
Critical & Evaluating Listening : is to evaluate, criticize or to pass the
judgment on what someone says
8.
Deep Listening : aims to understand the deep or hidden meanings of spoken
language
9.
Dialogue Listening : targets the understanding of meaning when two or
more are communicating with one another
10. Discriminative Listening : is when one listens to for only some specific reason
and not for anything else
11. False Listening : shows that listener is pretending to listen and in real his
attention is somewhere else
12. Total Listening : includes the listening to with interest, attention and try to
understand the deeper meaning also
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ACTIVE LISTENING V/S PASSIVE LISTENING
In English language we often use two words – hearing and listening. Hearing is a
physiological activity while listening is a mental one. Hearing doesn’t require any
conscious effort while listening requires great efforts from the mind.
In brief, listening is very important part of communication and a means and active
process of gathering information.
Listening – as a process
Listening is a process of hearing, filtering, interpreting, responding, and
remembering. Listening is a habit that needs to be cultivated. Active listening is
one in which the listener shows keen interest to listen to something.
During passive listening, the listener pretends as a good listener but in fact he
listens to nothing. His attention is always diverted and creates hurdle in listening
process.
So listening is an active process for many reasons like:
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To gain information
To receive instruction
To hear complaint
To enjoy entertainment
To show respect
Active listening can also be identified by perceptive listening.
Passive Listening is little more than hearing. It is a listening to music, storytelling,
television etc. People speak at 100 to 175 words per minute but can listen
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intelligently at 600 to 800 WPM. Since only a part of our mind is paying attention,
it is easy to go into mind drift – thinking about other things while listening to
someone. The cure for this is “Active Listening” which involves listening with a
purpose. It requires the receiver to hear the various messages, understand the
meaning and then verify the meaning by offering feedback.
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EMPATHETIC/ACTIVE/REFLECTIVE LISTENING
How to listen with empathy?
Empathetic listening is also called active or reflective listening. It has many advantages which
are listed below:
Advantages
Empathetic listening is a way of listening and responding that improves mutual understanding.
Listening enables the listener to receive and interpret the speaker’s message so as to provide
the response because response is an integral part of listening process. It
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always builds trust and respect
enables to release the emotions
reduces the tensions
encourages the surfacing of information
helps in better understanding & concentration
strengthens the interpersonal communication
develops attentiveness towards speaker
increased the speaker’s self esteem
gains the speaker’s cooperation
builds teamwork
helps us to obtain the objective information
Guidelines for good empathetic listening
Following suggestions and guidelines would help you for better listening:
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Be attentive & interested & alert
Create positive atmosphere with non verbal behavior
Do not ask a lot of questions
Be critical of what speaker is saying and you understand
Motivate the speaker through your gestures and postures
Do not interrupt
Don’t give advice
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Don’t teach
Give positive reactions
Provide undivided attention to speaker
Don’t give any judgment
Read the speaker
These are some of the points and observations which can make one a good listener.
TRAITS OF A GOOD LISTENER
It is good to be a speaker but difficult to be a good listener. If listening is done
carefully it can help us learn a lot. Following are the traits of a good listener:
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Adequate hearing
Recognition of problems that +involve listening
Relationship between listening and vocabulary
Judging well what is heard
Readiness to listen to others
Ability to discriminate among sounds and ideas
Ability to supply meanings to symbols
Evaluating medium and manner of speaker
Willingness to disregard prejudices
BARRIERS IN EFFECTIVE LISTENING
There are some barriers which hinder the effective listening. Thinking is the
biggest obstacle in listening process which diverts the listeners from what speaker
is saying. The barrier are:
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1.
Physical Barriers : Rigidity, prejudice, poor retention, premature evaluation,
hurried conclusions, impatience, status, incorrect articulation etc.
2.
Psychological Barriers : Ambiguity in thoughts, illusion, complexity, closed
mind, cognitive dissonance etc.
3.
Language Barriers : Ambiguous language, poor knowledge, excessive use of
dialects, poor pronunciation etc.
4.
Nonverbal Distractions : Improper gestures and postures, uncommon signs
and symbols, eye contact etc.
5.
Grandstanding : It is pretending of speaker that he knows everything and
commit the mess
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE LISTENING
Listening skill is not complex. It can be developed through following observations
or tips:
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Spend more time on listening than talking
Do not finish the sentences of others
Do not answer the questions with questions
BE aware of biases. Do not bring them in when listening
Never daydreams. Concentrate.
Let the speaker talk. Do not try to dominate the conversation or discussion
Provide feedback but let the speaker complete his talk or lecture
Be objective in analysis
Take brief notes
Be interested
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The above tips are very much useful for improving listening skills because
hearing is feeling, listening is interpretation.
________________________________________________________
POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is listening? Explain the types of listening.
How do you differentiate active/passive listening?
Explain empathetic listening?
What are the main features of good listener?
What the barriers of effective listening?
6.
Discuss the steps or tips to be considered or taken for effective listening?
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