| The most difficult problems with
listening occur in four processes: ( 1 ) sensing, ( 2 ) attending, ( 3 ) understanding,
and ( 4 ) remembering. Sensory impairment and external noise contribute to listening
errors. Selective perception and poor listening habits create attention problems. So do
certain attitudes and needs. People find it difficult to pay attention to low-intensity
messages, and also to messages that are too long. |
| Sometimes listeners misunderstand
because they do not share the same fields of experience with the speaker. Misunderstanding
also occurs when listeners can't empathize with the speaker, or when they do not use
feedback opportunities wisely. Listeners who already have their minds made up can also
cause misunderstandings. |
| Remembering problems flow
from the conditions under which the original learning took place, and also from the
conditions that have prevailed between the learning and the attempt to remember. These
conditions are called inhibitors, and occur in three categories: ( 1 ) proactive
inhibition, ( 2 ) concurrent inhibition, and ( 3 ) retroactive inhibition. The physical
and emotional condition of a listener can influence what the person remembers and how
quickly the person forgets. |
| You can do a lot to
improve your personal listening skills, and help your audience to avoid the most common
listening problems when you are a speaker. As a listener, learn to work hard at listening.
Empathize with the speaker. Give and get feedback. Put aside your mental sets, and work
hard at remembering what you have heard. As a speaker, you can learn to compensate for the
adverse effects of poor listening habits by reviewing the four categories of major
problems in the listening model. |
| Finally, our advice about
helping others listen more effectively is at the heart of all the remaining sections of
this course. To be a better speaker is to adapt o the physical, mental, and
emotional needs
of your listening audience. |
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