Ms. Suha jawabreh

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Oral Communication

• Ms. Suha jawabreh
• Lecture 9

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Distinction between Listening and Hearing

• What is the difference between listening and
  hearing?
• -Hearing is one of the five senses of a person
  and it is the ability to perceive sound by
  detecting vibrations through an organ such as the
  ear.
• -Listening also known as 'active listening' is a
  technique used in communication which requires a
  person to pay attention to the speaker and
  provide feedback.
• -Listening is a step further than hearing, where
  after the brain receives the nerve impulses and
  deciphers it, it then sends feedback.

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• You can listen to someone without actually
  hearing anything.
• What does this statement mean??

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Hearing

• --According to Merriam-Webster, hearing is the
  process, function, or power of perceiving sound
  specifically the special sense by which noises
  and tones are received as stimuli.
• -In hearing, vibrations are detected by the ear
  and then converted into nerve impulses and sent
  to the brain.
• -A person who is unable to hear has a condition
  known as deafness.
• -Hearing occurs even in sleep, where the ear
  processes the sounds and passes them on to the
  brain, but the brain does not always react to the
  sound.

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Listening

• -Listening is defined by MerriamWebster as, to
  hear something with thoughtful attention give
  consideration.
• -Listening requires concentration, deriving
  meaning from the sound that is heard and reacting
  to it.
• -Listening is a process of communication, where
  if the person is not listening it can cause a
  break in communication.

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Process of Listening

• --Listening is a complex processan integral part
  of the total communication process. However this
  part is often ignored.
• -The listening process is the process of
  receiving, attending and understanding auditory
  messages that is, messages transmitted through
  the medium of sound.
• -Often, the steps of responding and remembering
  are also included.

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The Listening Process
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Steps of the Listening Process

• 1.Receiving
• 2. Attending
• 3. Understanding
• 4. Responding and/or remembering may or may not
  follow. For example, it may be desirable for the
  listener to respond immediately or to remember
  the message in order to respond at a later time.

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Receiving

• -the stage of receiving involves the basic need
  to getting or hearing the right conversation, as
  to what the other person wants to say or express.
• Receiving sometimes fails. Receivers simply are
  not connected or tuned in to the senders.
  Sometimes, the problem is a physiological one
  for example, the receiver has a hearing
  deficiency.

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Attending

•  - The way, where-in, you should be conscious and
  alert about what the other person has said.
• -Attending is determined by the following
  factors
• 1. Selectivity of Attention.
• We direct attention to certain things to
  prevent an information overload.
• Selectivity of attention explains why you pay
  attention when something familiar to you, such as
  your hometown or your favorite hobby, is
  mentioned. In fact, you may have been listening
  intently to a conversation when someone in a
  different conversation mentions your name.
  Immediately, the focus of your attention shifts
  to the conversation in which your name was
  mentioned.

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• 2. Strength of Attention.
• Attention is not only selective it possesses
  energy, or strength. Attention requires effort
  and desire.
• Complete attention can be given to only one
  stimulus at a time, and necessary attention to
  only a limited number of stimuli at the same
  time. If we spend too much energy on too many
  stimuli, we soon will not be paying attention to
  any of them.

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• 3. Sustainment of Attention.
• Just as attention is determined by selectivity
  and strength, it is affected by time of
  sustainment.
• For example, we can listen to some public
  speakers far longer than we can listen to others.
  Duration may depend on the subject, the setting,
  the way the speech is packaged, and on the
  speakers delivery. But no matter how articulate
  and skilled the speaker, or how interesting the
  content, our attention finally ends. If for no
  other reason, the human body requires sleep or
  attention to other bodily needs. The mind can
  only pay attention for as long as the body can
  sit still.

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Understanding

• Communication begins with understanding.
• -It means that effective communication depends on
  understanding that is, effective communication
  does not take place until the receiver understands
   the message. Understanding must result for
  communication to be effective.

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Verbal Symbols

• -In listening, both verbal and nonverbal symbols
  are crucial to understanding
• 1. Verbal symbols Verbal communication means
  communicating through the use of words spoken.
• Barriers obstruct our understanding of verbal
  communication
• 1. The same words mean different things to
  different people.
• 2. Different words sometimes mean the same thing.
  

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• How can we overcome these barriers?
• These two barrierssame words meaning different
  things and different words meaning the same
  thingcan be overcome if you realize the
  following fact Meanings are not in words,
  meanings are in people. We listen more
  effectively when we consider the message in
  relation to its source. Good listeners always
  consider who the sender of the message is.
  Knowing something about the sender can be
  important when it comes to understanding the
  message.

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Nonverbal symbols

• -We communicate nonverbally through action
  factors, non-action factors, and vocal factors.
  Each suggests a barrier to understanding.
• Barrier 1 Misinterpretation of the action.
• Eye contact, gestures, and facial expression are
  action factors that affect the meaning we attach
  to a message. For that matter, any movement or
  action carries meaning.

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• Barrier 2 Misinterpretation of nonaction
  symbols.
• The clothes you wear, the automobile you drive,
  and the objects in your officeall these things
  communicate something about you. In addition,
  your respect of others needs for time and space
  affects how they interpret your messages.

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• Barrier 3 Misinterpretation of the voice.
• The quality, intelligibility, and variety of the
  voice affect the listeners understanding.
• 1. Quality refers to the overall impression the
  voice makes on others. Listeners often infer from
  the voice whether the speaker is happy or sad,
  fearful or confident, excited or bored.
• 2. Intelligibility (or understandability) depends
  on such things as articulation, pronunciation,
  and grammatical correctness.
• 3. Variety is the spice of speaking. Variations
  in rate, volume, force, pitch, and emphasis are
  some of the factors that influence our
  understanding of the speakers message.

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Listening Activity 1

• Were you listening??
• Students are required to present a five-minute
  summary of the material presented in this class.