Graduate Attributes: Communication

Listening

Food for thought

•‘Talking is power’•‘Listening is caring’ •‘I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.’- Ernest Hemingway

By the end of this session we will have…

• Tried to define what effective listening means and reflected on different ways effective listening can help us now and after we graduate

• Discussed how (or whether!) the wider context impacts on our ability to listen

• Identified and discussed potential barriers to listening (’listening killers’),

• Identified personal objectives for the development of listening skill as part of our Graduate Attributes development

Listening: what is it?

• Working in pairs or small groups, try to define what listening is

• Why is effective listening an important skill for a university student AND a graduate? In small groups, think of at least 6 reasons. You may refer to the university experience as a whole and your specific discipline

• Put your ideas into the inner circle of your ‘listening model’ sheet

Some definitions:

• To listen: “Give one’s attention to a sound: take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request; (listen for or listen out for) make an effort to hear something; be alert and ready to hear something” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/listen)

• ‘a process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (Bentley and Bacon 1996, p.1, definition accepted by the International Listening Association)

• What is the difference between listening and hearing?

The wider context

• Think of the context of the world we live in (our personal life, work, study): how do we communicate, what are the main issues, challenges?

• Working in a small group (preferably 4), fill the outer circle with key words and phrases that describe this context

Reflection

• Does the context impact on our ability to listen well? To what extent?

Your own experience

• Think of a situation when you were truly listened to. How did you feel? How did you know you were listened to?

• Think of an opposite situation: you were not listened to. How did you feel? How could you tell?

• What could have been done to improve this situation?

Levels of listening

• How can our listening evolve and become deeper? Briefly discussing in pairs, try to identify and jot down listening ‘levels’ from the most ‘surface’ one to a ‘deep’ one

• Compare and discuss your ideas with the pair sitting closest to you

Let’s practise!

Barriers to listening or listening ‘killers’

• What are the potential barriers to effective listening?

• What are ‘filters’?

When listening, have you ever been…

• A mind reader?• A rehearser?• A filterer?• A dreamer?• An identifier?• A comparer?• Other?...

What have I learned?

1. Look back at your initial expectations2. How will you apply the learning from this session? (academic study, work/career, social/community engagement?)3. What else would you like to learn or/and know?

Useful links

• Julian Treasure, 5 ways to listen better, speaking at TED conference, Edinburgh, Scotland:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSohjlYQI2A

• Listening and interpersonal skills tutorialhttp://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/working-with-others/listening-and-

interpersonal-skills/listening-and-interpersonal-skills-tutorial/