Comprehensive listening involves listening to understand the message of a speaker true or false

General Listening Types:

The two main types of listening - the foundations of all listening sub-types are:

• Discriminative Listening
• Comprehensive Listening

Discriminative Listening

Discriminative listening is first developed at a very early age – perhaps even before birth, in the womb. This is the most basic form of listening and does not involve the understanding of the meaning of words or phrases but merely the different sounds that are produced. In early childhood, for example, a distinction is made between the sounds of the voices of the parents – the voice of the father sounds different to that of the mother.

Discriminative listening develops through childhood and into adulthood. As we grow older and develop and gain more life experience, our ability to distinguish between different sounds is improved. Not only can we recognise different voices, but we also develop the ability to recognise subtle differences in the way that sounds are made – this is fundamental to ultimately understanding what these sounds mean. Differences include many subtleties, recognising foreign languages, distinguishing between regional accents and clues to the emotions and feelings of the speaker.

Being able to distinguish the subtleties of sound made by somebody who is happy or sad, angry or stressed, for example, ultimately adds value to what is actually being said and, of course, does aid comprehension. When discriminative listening skills are combined with visual stimuli, the resulting ability to ‘listen’ to body-language enables us to begin to understand the speaker more fully – for example recognising somebody is sad despite what they are saying or how they are saying it.

Example

Imagine yourself surrounded by people who are speaking a language that you cannot understand. Perhaps passing through an airport in another country. You can probably distinguish between different voices, male and female, young and old and also gain some understanding about what is going on around you based on the tone of voice, mannerisms and body language of the other people. You are not understanding what is being said but using discriminative listening to gain some level of comprehension of your surroundings.

Comprehensive Listening

Comprehensive listening involves understanding the message or messages that are being communicated. Like discriminative listening, comprehensive listening is fundamental to all listening sub-types.

In order to be able use comprehensive listening and therefore gain understanding the listener first needs appropriate vocabulary and language skills. Using overly complicated language or technical jargon, therefore, can be a barrier to comprehensive listening. Comprehensive listening is further complicated by the fact that two different people listening to the same thing may understand the message in two different ways. This problem can be multiplied in a group setting, like a classroom or business meeting where numerous different meanings can be derived from what has been said.

Comprehensive listening is complimented by sub-messages from non-verbal communication, such as the tone of voice, gestures and other body language. These non-verbal signals can greatly aid communication and comprehension but can also confuse and potentially lead to misunderstanding. In many listening situations it is vital to seek clarification and use skills such as reflection aid comprehension.

The Importance of Listening

Listening is an active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.

Learning Objectives

Define active listening and list the five stages of the listening process

Key Takeaways

Key Points

• The listening process involves five stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding.
• Active listening is a particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker.
• Three main degrees of active listening are repeating, paraphrasing, and reflecting.

Key Terms

• Listening: The active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.
• active listening: A particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker.

Listening Is More than Just Hearing

Learning to Listen: Antony Gormley’s statue “Untitled [Listening],” Maygrove Peace Park

Listening is a skill of critical significance in all aspects of our lives–from maintaining our personal relationships, to getting our jobs done, to taking notes in class, to figuring out which bus to take to the airport. Regardless of how we’re engaged with listening, it’s important to understand that listening involves more than just hearing the words that are directed at us. Listening is an active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.

The listening process involves five stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding. These stages will be discussed in more detail in later sections. Basically, an effective listener must hear and identify the speech sounds directed toward them, understand the message of those sounds, critically evaluate or assess that message, remember what’s been said, and respond [either verbally or nonverbally] to information they’ve received.

Effectively engaging with all five stages of the listening process lets us best gather the information we need from the world around us.

Active Listening

Active listening is a particular communication technique that requires the listener to provide feedback on what he or she hears to the speaker, by way of restating or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words. The goal of this repetition is to confirm what the listener has heard and to confirm the understanding of both parties. The ability to actively listen demonstrates sincerity, and that nothing is being assumed or taken for granted. Active listening is most often used to improve personal relationships, reduce misunderstanding and conflicts, strengthen cooperation, and foster understanding.

When engaging with a particular speaker, a listener can use several degrees of active listening, each resulting in a different quality of communication with the speaker. This active listening chart shows three main degrees of listening: repeating, paraphrasing, and reflecting.

Degrees of Active Listening: There are several degrees of active listening.

Active listening can also involve paying attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language. Having the ability to interpret a person’s body language lets the listener develop a more accurate understanding of the speaker’s message.

Think You Know Everything About Listening? Take This 9-Question Quiz to Test Your Knowledge

Listening is hard work. Here's how to improve this essential communication skill.

• Shape

By Alison Davis, Founder and CEO, Davis & Company@alisonbdavis

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Although listening is the first language skill that human beings develop--and it's how we spend 40% of our time communicating--many of us are not great listeners.

In fact, we achieve only 25% of our listening potential--mostly because we're too busy, too distracted and too focused on what we're going to say next.

At work, listening is:

• the most frequently reported communication deficiency among new hires
• the second most challenging aspect of communication [after motivating people] for all employees
• the second most critical development need [after motivating people] for leaders and managers

So it's a good idea to work on our listening, which Merriam Webster defines as "to hear something with thoughtful attention: give consideration."

Let's start by testing your knowledge. Answer true or false to each of the following statements:

1. Listening is the same as hearing.

2. Listening skills develop naturally.

3. People with higher IQs are better listeners.

4. Listening is a passive activity.

5. You can improve your ability to listen by moving to a different location.

6. The person speaking is responsible for making sure his/her message is understood.

7. To be a better listener, sit up straight.

8. If someone doesn't agree, he/she is not listening.

9. Asking questions improves listening effectiveness.

Ready to see how you did? Here are the answers:

1. FALSE: Just because you hear the speaker's voice doesn't mean you're listening. Hearing is the body's natural response to sound, while listening involves actively gathering information to develop a clear understanding of the message.

2. TRUE but also FALSE:While it's true that humans are born with the ability to listen--after all, it's how we learn to speak--effective listening skills must be carefully developed through effort and practice.

3. FALSE:Just because someone has a high intellect doesn't mean the person is an expert listener. Studies show that listening and intelligence are not related.

4.FALSE:Effective listening gives the body and mind a rigorous workout, causing a faster heart rate, quicker blood circulation and a rise in the body's temperature.

5. TRUE.Your office space is a breeding ground for distractions. Email, ringing phones, smartphones and paperwork are like Kryptonite that can drain your power to listen. The next time you need to have an important conversation with a colleague, leave your office and meet in a location that's free from distractions.

6. FALSE:The speaker and the listener share responsibility for successful communication.

7. TRUE:Whether you're sitting or standing, keep your hands open and your arms at your sides.Leaning toward the speaker demonstrates that you are interested in what the speaker is saying--and actually helps you pay attention.

8. FALSE:Just because a coworker [or a friend, a spouse or a political opponent] doesn't follow your suggestions or directions doesn't mean he/she isn't listening to you. Effective listening does not guarantee agreement.

9.TRUE:One of the best ways to improve your listening skills is by asking more questions. Your question can be as simple as "How are things going?" or "How's your job been lately?"

Mar 13, 2019

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.