are you TUNED in?

2. I sleep when I want. I cry when I want. I’ll listen when I want. Do babies listen well? Lessons on Listening Sophomore English are you TUNED in? • Targets: • I can explain the difference between listening and hearing. • I can differentiate between effective and ineffective communication within the cycle. • I can assess an environment’s impact on my ability to actively listen.

3. So, what is it? This sounds sooo easy… even a baby could listen! Right? Listening is… • The process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to verbal/non-verbal messages.

4. “But Mrs. Powe, I can always hearyou, so I’m alwayslisteningto you!” Hearing is… Listening is… • Being able to detect sounds • Natural • Passive • Getting meaning from sounds that are heard • A learned skill • Active I love practicing my listening skills through work gossip! Imagine if I got paid for hearing, but not listening. I’d have some upset patients! Having good hearing does not make you a good listener. Likewise, having poor hearing does not mean your are a poor listener.

5. Pointing at the LISTENING PROCESS • Step One: Sensing • Hearing the message - Pick up sound waves through your ears - Impaired hearing may keep a person from sensing the same data as someone else; likewise, someone with sensitive hearing may pick up more than most around them. You can also find this step in the CM when the sender sends the message to the receiver!

6. Pointing at the Process • Step Two: Interpreting the Statement • Decoding the message • Ex—if you hear a scream, decide if the person is yelling out of fear, anger, or enjoyment. • Ex—when a friend tells a story, are they looking for comfort, a laugh, etc.? • Imagine how misinterpretation can affect these situations. Find me in the CM when the receiver finds the meaning of verbal & nonverbal symbols in the sender’s message.

7. Pointing at the Process • Step Three: Examining the Statement • Encoding • Consider how the message relates to you. I love you, but I’m not in love with you. Find me in the CM when the receiver turns his ideas/feelings into verbal & nonverbal symbols, preparing to give appropriate feedback to the sender.

8. YOU MEAT HEAD!!! Pointing at the Process • Step Four: Responding to the Statement Appropriately • Feedback • Your verbal and nonverbal feedback will likely make the sender decide if he or she will continue, change, or stop the message. Find me in the CM when the receiver gives the sender appropriate feedback to the original message.

9. Lessons on Listening: brought to you by the number 4 Why bother listening? • EVERYONE listens… • 1. for F-U-N (or enjoyment) • Radio, IPod, TV • 2. for F-A-C-T-S (or to obtain info) • Directions to a house, Instructions on a project • 3. for F-I-G-U-R-I-N-Gthings out (or to think critically) • 4. for F-R-I-E-N-D-S (or to be empathetic)

10. Listening for F-U-N… • Sometimes when we listen to music or watch T.V., we simply hear it… • and that’s o.k…. • but if we truly LISTEN, we get so much more out of the experience!

11. Listening for F-A-C-T… Most BASIC purpose of listening: to understand correctly what that person intended to say • GET MORE INFORMATION! • Good listeners are usually good questioners. • Ask questions like: • Do you mean…? • What do you think…? • Can you give me an example? Oh, MAN…! I must have misunderstood Mrs. Boddy and written the wrong information in my notebook. That’s why I got all these questions wrong. I need help with my listening skills!!! HELP IS ON THE WAY…

12. Listening for F-I-G-U-R-I-N-G things out • What information is important? • What information is NOT important? • How does one idea relate to another idea? • What are the reasons for believing or disbelieving what we hear? • We have to decide:

13. Comments like: • That really makes you mad. • That has to be frustrating. • Hooray for you. • can show that the listener is responding to the speaker’s mood or feelings. Listening for F-R-I-E-N-D-S to provide support…Sometimes when you really understand a message, you may find that the sender is looking for your concern or support—this person needs to be heard! • The following comments may give support to a speaker: • Good for you. Keep it up. • I think that’s a great idea. • Excellent! Mom, how can I show my support? A supportive listener encourages or agrees with another person.

14. 2+2= QUESADILLA! • Listening is influenced by different factors: • One: Energy and Focus • A listener’s energy affects a listener’s focus • Ex: An exhausted student might miss out on important review material in school if he was up late playing videogames. • A student who left her phone charging downstairs, so therefore refrained from texting all night, will get a good night sleep and be a stellar student and friend the next day since she has the energy to actively listen.

15. Listening is Influenced by: • Two: The Speaker • A listener’s willingness to listen is often based off of how much he or she likes the person speaking. • A person’s willingness to listen is based on her response to the speaker’s personality. • The listener’s personal bias towards the speaker can affect her ability to effectively listen to the speaker. • Example: Listening to a parent lecture you might not always be as effective as another adult or friend giving you the same message.

16. Listening is Influenced by: • Three: Prejudice • Prejudgment keeps a listener from truly hearing in some cases. • Listening can be difficult if someone holds firm beliefs that are not grounded by facts.

17. Listening is Influenced by: • Four: The Environment • A person’s willingness to listen is often based on his or her comfort in the environment • The setting of a conversation can greatly impact a receiver’s willingness to listen: • Temperature • Light • Noise • Space/Seating • Other people • What are some environments that you struggle to listen in? Why?

18. Breaking the Barrier • One: Retention • People only recall 50% of what is heard, and they forget 20-25% of that in 1-2 days!

19. Breaking the Barrier • Two: External Distractions • A student struggles to listen to the teacher or her peers when there is a bee flying around the room, a cell phone going off, police sirens sounding in the distance, etc. • Work hard to concentrate on the message and ignore the competing sounds and signals—combat those interferences!

20. Breaking the Barrier A nose in need deserves Puffs indeed…and a day off of listening! • Three: Internal Distractions • A student’s mind likes to wander to the chemistry test next period, the crush across the room, or the fact that her stomach is bothering her; when this happens, listening is lost. • Force yourself to concentrate on what another is saying and try to catch yourself as you start to daydream, worry, or plan for future events—remember, it’s an active process.

21. Breaking the Barrier BORE = a person who talks when you wish him to listen. • Four: Your desire to talk • Some people would rather talk than listen. So, instead of listening, he or she is busy planning a response. • One-Up Wanda is always busy explaining how her story is funnier, or her situation is more unfortunate than the person who just talked. • Control your talk and practice silence to deepen your relationships and learn from others.

22. Breaking the Barrier This guy’s tie is ugly—I’m not going to listen. Five: Personal Biases • Lucas Listener’s perceptions keep him from hearing certain arguments, paying attention to certain speakers, or completing a conversation with a new person. • Lucas Listener thinks he will hate or be bored by a topic or a speaker so he tunes out. Active listeners try to find something interesting in the topic or try to relate the topic to their lives in order to make it interesting. Ask questions or share opinions—that helps too (can we say…class discussion?).

23. Breaking the Barrier • Six: Conflicting Demands • Lucy Listener missed that her friend was really looking for advice on the phone because she was busy eating dinner and watching TV while talking to her. • You cannot give all of your attention to something if you are busy doing other things—make active listening a priority in order to improve this skill.

24. . You can become a LISTENING LEGACY if you: 1. Stay tuned in • You can actually listen to many more words a minute than a speaker can speak in a minute: can hear and understand 450 wpm; can speak 175 wpm • The extra time you have listening allows you to actively engage in the listening process. Consider reviewing points already made, predicting next points, comparing the sender’s ideas to your own, or searching for other levels of meaning 2. Read nonverbals • Listen “between the lines” for nonverbal clues, looking for contradictory messages • Modify your behavior based on noverbals 3. Get prepared • Make eye-contact, take notes if appropriate, and use posture, showing the speaker that you are listening 4. Avoid distractions • Work through internal and external distractions—avoid them when possible and make the choice to ignore them when they arise.

25. LISTENING LEGACY continues: 5. Apply ideas to yourself • Try to apply the ideas or feelings to your own life—this will help you maintain attention 6. Review the message • Paraphrase (rephrase) a person’s message in your own words • This allows you to check your understanding of the message because the receiver can correct you if necessary • Clarify the other person’s position before continuing an argument or conversation 7. Know your effect on the sender • You can affect a sender’s behavior through noverbal and verbal responses. • Eye contact and “uh-huh”s will encourage the speaker to continue, whereas looking away or at the clock will likely have them cut the message short.