unit 1 fundamentals of communication.pdf

8/10/2019 Unit 1 Fundamentals of Communication.pdf

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UNIT-1: FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNICATION

Structure

1.1 Objectives

1.2 Introduction

1.3 Effective Communication

1.4 Basic Forms of Communication

1.5 Barriers to Communication

1.6 Dealing with Communication Barriers

1.7 Listening

1.8 Types of Listening

1.9 Effective Listening

1.10 Powerful Speech

1.11 Let us Summarise

1.12 Suggested Sites

1.1 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this unit, you will be able to discuss:

What is meant by Communication?

The Importance of Communication The Process of Communication The Basic Forms of Communication Barriers to Communication Dealing with Communication Barriers Why is listening important for effective communication? Types of listening

Positive listening responses Negative listening responses


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Why is it important to communicate?

Since we live in a society and there is always a need to interact with each otherfor some purpose or the other, it is important for us to communicate. Human relations are

not possible without communication. However, good and effective communication isrequired not only for good human relations but also for good and successful business.Progress is possible only if we communicate.

Communication is not only the basis of human thought, it is the means by whicheach of us develops an individual pattern of beliefs, attitudes, and valuesthe personalattributes that bring us to understand, misunderstand, accept, or reject others who are likeor unlike ourselves. In that sense, communication is the foundation of an effectivedemocratic and multicultural society.

Most of your communication time may be spent speaking and listening, while asmall portion of time is spent reading and writing.

Let us say that you are at a shop and you want to buy a tube of toothpaste. Unless

you tell the shopkeeper what you want or maybe even point out to a tube of paste on therack, you will not be able to buy it. You need to communicate either by action orverbally.

Communication is like breathing, you cannot live if you dont breathe; similarly,you cannot live in this world if you dont communicate.

Glossary

Attributes: quality or characteristic that someone or something has

Transmitting: to pass something from one person or place to another

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1

1. When do we start communicating?

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2. Give two reasons as to why we should communicate.

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3. Write two or three sentences (in your own words) about what you have

understood by communication.

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1.3 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

How do we know whether we have communicated effectively ?

You have been communicating all your life; you might wonder why you need to

study about communication. One answer is that formal study can improve skills.

Some people have a natural talent for singing or playing cricket. They could

become better if they took voice lessons or studied theories of offensive or

defensive play in cricket. Likewise, even if you communicate well now, learning

about it more can make you more effective.

Communication is complete only when we make ourselves clear to our receivers.

The only way in which we can determine whether we have communicated

effectively is by finding out if the desired result or response is achieved at the end

of the process. If the desired response or result is not achieved, then be sure that

you have not communicated properly.

There could be many reasons as to why the receiver has not responded in the way

in which you want him/her to. It could be your choice of words, tone, lack of

complete information, assumptions, generalization, noise, distractions just aboutanything.

Read the following anecdote which will help you understand how communication

can be ineffective if you do not take care to send the message across to the receiver.

Rohini was busy working on a project report. She called out to her 15 year old,

Pooja, to check if the milk on the stove was boiling.


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As she was completely involved in her report, she forgot about it as soon as she had

spoken.

After a while, she suddenly looked up as she could smell something burning and

she could also see smoke filling the room.

She dashed to the kitchen to check what was happening. To her dismay, she saw

the pan of milk, or what had been the pan of milk, charred beyond repair as the

flame of the stove was still burning.

Rohini yelled desperately for Pooja, "Didnt I tell you to check if the milk was

boiling?"

Pooja: "Yes, you did. And I did check!"

Rohini: "Then how come the pan is charred and there is no milk left?"

Pooja:"..but, but, you did not ask me to turn it off!"

For communication to be clear and effective, it must satisfy four criteria:

A message must be sent. The message must be received. The message must be understood. There must be a response.

Let's look at these requirements one at a time.

A Message Must Be Sent.

The first requirement for clear communication is the sending of a message. For this

to happen, the sender who has something to express must do something to convey

the message to the receiver. He should either speak, write, sing etc., to express his

ideas or even express them non-verbally through clear gestures, facial expressions,

and so on.

The Message Must Be Received

The second important part of the communication process is that the message should

be received and understood. Effective communicators know that they have not

conveyed their meaning until they have made sure that the other person has

received it exactly as they sent it. They test, with questions and observations, to

make sure that the real meaning they wanted to convey has been received and

understood.


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The Message Must Be Understood

The cycle of communication is complete only when your message has been sent,

received and understood the way in which the sender wants the receiver to

understand. You may not always agree with the other person, and the other person

may not always agree with you -- but it is important that you understand each other.

There Must Be a Response

The aim of all communication is to get the desired response and result. You want to

say something correctly, and have your receiver understand what you mean by it.

But you also want the receiver to do something in response.

The criteria for communication sound simple enough. However, when we fail to

consider the context, things can get difficult. Each of us has our own ideas. Theseare formed by our culture and are modified by our own unique life experiences. Our

life's experiences add color and shades of meaning to different words. When we

speak, our ideas must be translated into words which can be understood by the

listener.

Tina was visiting Korea for the first time. She had to get some information from

the library for the book she was writing. She needed to photocopy some pages, so

she went up to the librarian and asked: " Is there a copy machine here?"

The librarian nodded, and pointed out to the hallway.

She promptly walked down the hallway, but all she could find was a coffee vending

machine.

Puzzled, she walked around looking for the photocopier. Finally, she met someone

who could understand English properly. She said, "I asked the librarian for a copy

machine and he pointed this way, but there is no copier here; I only found a coffee

machine!"

The man laughed and said, "Oh! You must be new here. You see the Koreanscannot understand the sound of "p"; he would have understood copy to be

coffee!"

You can probably think of numerous examples of misunderstandings in your life,

on your job and in your culture.

Though Karnataka and Tamil Nadu belong to the same country, there are different


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beliefs characteristic of each state.

The following anecdote shows clearly how what is considered good in one state can

be bad in another.

In Tamil Nadu, it is considered auspicious to say that we will have "vada and payasam" for a festive occasion or for a celebration. However, the same expression

will have a different meaning in Karnataka. "Vada and payasam" is usually made

for the ceremonies of the dead.

A friend of mine from Tamil Nadu, got married and came to Bangalore, a city in

Karnataka. Her mother-in-law had arranged for a pooja to be performed in the

house to welcome the new daughter-in-law. Nearly 200 people were invited for the

pooja.

As the pooja started and was in progress, my friend was very happy and excited andsuddenly exclaimed, "Ah! Lovely! We will have vada payasa today!" This was

greeted by dead silence in the gathering and her mother-in-law was very angry and

upset. She was rather puzzled until her husband explained to her that it was the

wrong thing to say during a pooja.

Therefore, it is important to consider the culture of the place.


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Glossary

Anecdote: a short story that you tell someone about something that

happened to you or to someone else

Characteristic: a typical or obvious quality that makes one person or thing different fromothers

Conveyed: to communicate information, feelings, or images to someone

Culture: the habits, traditions, beliefs, lifestyle, food etc., of a country,

society, or group of people

Modified: to change something in order to improve it

Numerous: many

Offensive and: style of playing strokes in cricket; offensive play is when

defensive play you attack the other team and defensive whenyou stop the other team from getting more runs

Opportunities: chances

Talent: a natural ability to do something

Unique: one of a kind; different from everything or everyone else

Vada and payasam: special dishes prepared by most South Indians .


1. How can you communicate effectively?

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2. Have you ever been in a funny situation because of miscommunication?

Share your experience.

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1.4 BASIC FORMS OF COMMUNICATION

The two basic forms of communication are Verbal and Non-Verbal.

COMMUNICATION

VERBAL NON-VERBAL

Verbal Communication Verbal communication is when a person puts across a message by speaking or

writing. The message can be sent to an individual, a team or a group.

Verbal communication can be

Face to face Speaking on the telephone Using intercoms Video conferencing (when people use advanced technology to see each

other while speaking from any part of the world)

Conference calling (when people use advanced technology to speak with

people situated at various locations on the globe and virtually hold aconference on the telephone, speaking with many people at the same time)

Formal and informal letters Business and personal emails Online Chat Reports Memoranda Resumes The print media (newspapers, magazines etc.)

Verbal communication can be either formal or informal.

Formal Verbal Communication is used in offices, while meeting strangers,

speaking with older people, public addresses, and social gatherings. Choice of

words and tone will certainly be more polite than in informal situations.


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Note : While interacting with strangers, speaking with older people and in social

gatherings, communication could sometimes change from formal to informal

according to the situation as well.

Informal communication is used among family and friends. Choice of words and

tone may vary according to the degree of closeness with a particular member of the

family or friends circle. Jargon, slang and short forms may form part of it as well.

*Non Verbal Communication:

Non verbal communication includes-

Shaking hands Posture Facial expressions Appearance Voice Tone Hairstyle Clothes Expression in your eyes Smile How close you stand to others How you listen Confidence Your breathing The way you move The way you stand The way you touch people Color choice Silence

*This will be dealt with in detail in Unit 3.


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1. How would you greet your grandfather?

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2. How would you greet your friend when you meet him at a cinema theatre?

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3. Classify the following into Verbal or Non-Verbal forms of communication:

a letter to your friend; namaste; wearing stylish clothes; a memo; talking to a

friend; chatting on line; keeping silent; shouting; breathing heavily; writing an

email; asking for information; hugging your mother.

Sl. No. Verbal Non-Verbal

___1_______________________________________________________________

___2_______________________________________________________________

___3________________________________________________________________

___4________________________________________________________________

___5________________________________________________________________

6


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Glossary

Jargon: words and phrases used by particular groups of

people that are difficult for other people to understand

Memoranda: official documents, information, messages

Resumes: a document which describes your qualifications and

jobs you have done, which you send to an employer

that you want to work for

Slang: informal language often used by people belonging to

a particular group; slang is not acceptable in business

English

Tone: the style and quality of the sound of someones voice

1.5 BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION

What is meant by "barrier"?

We can look at the word "barrier" to mean several things. It could be a fence, a

wall, or just something that obstructs your view, thought or perception.

Many people think that communicating is easy. It is after all something we've done

all our lives. Communicating is straightforward.

What makes it complex, difficult, and frustrating are the barriers we put in the way.

Communication can have many barriers which usually result in miscommunication.

1. Physical Barriers

Physical barriers include:

Marked out territories into which strangers are not allowed For example,many offices have electronically locked doors which can be opened only byusing access cards.

Closed doors, barrier screens, separate areas for people of different status Large working areas or working in one unit that is physically separated

from others.


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2. Perceptual Barriers

The problem with communicating with others is that we all see the world

differently. If we didn't, we would have no need to communicate. Perception is how

you look at others and the world around you. How you look at the world depends

on what you think of yourself.

How many legs does this elephant have? Observe carefully and you could just see

8 legs instead of 4!!

Illusions are used to show that our senses can be tricked - this happensin communication when there is a difference in what we expect andwhat is really happening.

Perceptual Process -you select the information, you organize it, and you interpretit.

The following anecdote is a reminder of how our thoughts, assumptions and

perceptions shape our own realities:

There was this bank manager who was campaigning for accounts for the new

branch that had opened in the neighborhood. Geetha, a lady in the area, decided to

open an account in the new branch. The manager was delighted and from then on

Geetha was treated as an important customer.

One day, as she was not very clear about an entry in her pass book, she went up to

the manager and said, "I have a doubt regarding" and even before she couldcomplete the sentence, the manager pushed back his chair in anger and screamed,

"You doubt me, you doubt me. How dare you! Get out of my office now."

A harmless question was taken as an insult and the situation got completely out of

control. The manager thought that she was suspecting him when all she was trying

to do was clarify something.

Try this exercise to understand how pre-conceived ideas play on our minds.


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Read the chart and say the color out loudly, not the word for example the word

"yellow" is printed in green; therefore, you are expected to read aloud the color

which is "green" usually as most of us continue reading, we will end up reading

the word and not the color.

3. Emotional Barriers

One of the main barriers to open and free communications is the emotional barrier.

It deals mainly with fear, mistrust and suspicion. The roots of our emotionalmistrust of others lie in our childhood when we were taught to be careful about

what we said to others. I am sure most of us in our growing years have heard one or

the other of the following statements.

"Mind your Ps and Qs" "Don't speak until you're spoken to" "Children should be seen and not heard" "Respect your elders do not question or answer them back"

As a result many people hold back from communicating their thoughts and feelings

to others.

They feel vulnerable. While you need to be careful with certain relationships, you

also need not be over careful as this may result in slowing down the process of

effective and clear communication.

Rakesh had risen to the position of a team manager through sheer hard work. He

belonged to a conventional Indian family, where youngsters are taught to respect

older people.

He faced a serious problem at work. One of his team members, Krishnamurthy,

was a slightly elderly gentleman who was rather lazy and did not complete his work

on time.

As the team manager, he knew that he had to talk to Krishnamurthy and pull him up

for his laziness. However, he was unable to do so because Krishnamurthy was

much older. His upbringing (which had taught him to respect and fear elders)

YELLOW BLUE ORANGE BLACK RED GREEN PURPLE

YELLOW RED ORANGE GREEN BLACK BLUE RED PURPLE

GREEN BLUE ORANGE BLUE BLACK GREEN ORANGE RED


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stopped him from telling an older person that he was lazy.

As a result, he had to face a lot of problems with his boss who was an American

and could not understand Rakeshs plight.

Psychological factors such as people's state of mind can also come in the way ofclear communication. We all tend to be more receptive to information when we are

happy.

Similarly, if someone has personal problems like worries about their health or

marriage, then this will probably affect them.

Imagine that you have just heard that a good friend of yours has met with an

accident and is in hospital with serious injuries. I am sure you will be upset to hear

this. When you are in such a state of mind, would you be able to have fun and

enjoy yourself?

4. Cultural Barriers

Each country has its own culture. What might be considered polite behavior could

be considered rude in other places. In Japanese culture, it is considered proper

behavior for men to keep silent. If a man talks too much, he is considered

uncultured. This has created problems for the Japanese when they interact with

people from other cultures as they do not speak even when they need to.

With people communicating globally, it has become quite common to adapt toglobal etiquette. For example, it is considered rude to burp after a meal, especially

in public.

Check this story out which is in total contrast to what we now follow as global

etiquette.

An Englishman, John Ernest, was exploring and writing about the lives of certain

nomadic tribes in the Middle East. He was invited to a feast by the head of a

particular tribe. The spread before him was impressive. He ate till he could eat no

more. His host was most courteous and hospitable and kept serving himgenerously. Everything seemed to be going fine. Suddenly, John felt that his host

seemed to be expecting something from him. He immediately thanked him for the

lovely meal. However, his host did not seem too happy.

John continued to feel his host watching him expectantly. Half an hour passed in

this manner. Then suddenly his host yelled for the chef and to Johns shock, drew

out his sword to kill the chef.


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John was aghast, and couldnt stop himself from yelling out, "Why? What has he

done? I have never eaten such delicious food in all my life!" His host replied

angrily, "..but then, you havent burped even once! It only means one thing; the

food was not to your taste. My chef has disappointed me; he has failed to please

my guest, that is you, Mr. John."

This tribe firmly believed that if someone has enjoyed his meal, he should show his

appreciation by burping loudly. If he doesnt, it means that the food was not good.

John hastily explained that in his culture it was considered rude to burp and it had

nothing to do with the taste of the food which he had found exotic and delicious.

5. Language Barriers

The language we use may also present barriers to others who are not familiar with

our expressions, slang and jargon. In a global market place the best way to makeanother person feel good is to talk in their language.

We all know that countries like America and Britain outsource work to India.

However, we as Indians do not always understand their idiomatic expressions.

One example is that of a customer support representative (working in a call center

which gave support to an online purchasing company) who was very confused

while taking a call. A customer from America who had bought a watch recently

complained that his watch had "busted"; the representative understood it as

"bursted" and replied saying that it was impossible for a watch to burst! He failed

to understand that the customer meant to say that his watch had stopped working!

Incidentally, the verb "burst" has all its three forms as "burst" in British English;

however, "bursted" is an accepted form in American English.

An individuals command over language is also important. The use of difficult or

inappropriate words in communication can stop people from understanding the

message.

Poorly explained or misunderstood messages can also result in confusion. We canall think of situations where we have listened to an explanation which we just could

not grasp. It is always better to express ourselves in clear and simple language.

6. Physiological Barriers:

Physiological barriers may result from individuals' personal discomfort, caused, for

example, by ill health, poor eye sight or hearing difficulties.


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Radha and Ravi had been married ten years. For sometime, Ravi had felt that

Radha did not respond to him when he spoke to her. He suddenly remembered that

deafness ran in her family. He did not want to upset her by asking her whether she

was able to hear properly.

Worried, he met their family doctor and explained the situation to him. The doctor

told him that he could check this out discreetly. He asked Ravi to go home and

speak to her from a distance and check whether she responded.

Ravi got home to find Radha busy cooking. He yelled, "What is for dinner ?"

There was no reply. Worried, he moved closer and repeated the question. Still,

there was no reply. He kept yelling until he was really close to her. Looking very

worried, he shouted the question once again.

Radha turned around looking really angry. "What is wrong with you? How manytimes do you want me to repeat that we are having chicken for dinner? Right from

the time you entered and yelled from the entrance, I have been shouting, chicken.

Are you deaf or what?"

To his dismay, Ravi realized that he was the one who was turning deaf!

Poor Listening will Certainly Result in Miscommunication.

It was getting close to 1 pm. Ajay, a technical support agent was on a call with a

customer. Ajay was helping him install a new program on his laptop. Mid-way

through the process, his friends started gesturing to him that it was time for lunch.

Ajay was distracted by them. He missed the customer asking him to explain the

step they were going through. Ajay continued giving instructions and finally asked

the customer if the program had been installed successfully.

Unfortunately, for Ajay, as he had missed a vital question, the whole process had to

be repeated before the installation was completed successfully. By the time he was

done it was close to 3 p.m. Had he listened carefully, he would have finished by

1.30 p.m! He could have saved precious time, both for the customer and himself.

The other misfortune was that the customer was so angry by the end of the call that

he complained about Ajay to his supervisor. It became a black mark on his record.


1. Of the various barriers to communication that you have learnt, which of them

do you feel are the most difficult to overcome and why?

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2. Can you think of any situation where you have misunderstood words and

reacted differently? Write a few sentences about such an experience.

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GlossaryAssumptions: something that you think is true without having any proof

Barrier: something that stops people from doing what they want

Campaigning: in the given context, to get new accounts for his branch

Clarify: to make something easier to understand by explaining it

Complex: difficult to understand; not simple

Conventional: traditionalDismay: feeling of unhappiness and disappointment

Frustrating: feeling annoyed that things are not happening the way you

want them to

Gesture: to point at something or express something using your hand,

arm or head.

Illusion: an idea or belief that is not true; something that is not really

what it seems to be

Mutter: speak so softly that it is difficult to hear

Perceive: what you think or believe about someone or something

Pre-conceived ideas: ideas or thoughts that are decided before the facts of a


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situation are known.

Receptive: willing to think about and accept new ideas

Vital: necessary

Vulnerable: easy to hurt or attack physically or emotionally

1.6 DEALING WITH COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Physical barriers are not very difficult to overcome. Seeking permission, knocking

etc., can easily help us deal with them.

Perceptual barriers can be overcome by taking time to empathize with the other

person and being open to the other persons views and ideas.Emotional barriers are far more difficult to deal with as some of them may have

existed for a long time and we may need to get professional help to overcome them.

Sometimes, opening up our minds to different ideas and broadening our perspective

can help us go a long way.

Cultural barriers can be overcome by understanding cultural differences and

respecting different cultures.

Language barriers take a long time to overcome. However, learning the language

and the nuances of its usage would help. Developing spoken and written skills in

that particular language is essential.

Physiological barriers can be overcome by identifying the barrier and finding a

solution accordingly. For example, if you are unable to see or read, you could get

your vision checked and it can be corrected by using a pair of spectacles or even

contact lenses.

However, the most important barrier in the communication process is poor

listening.CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 5

1. Match the following:

1. Physical barrier Attending a formal dinner in New York and not

knowing which spoon to use first as there are

many spoons arranged next to your plate


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2. Perceptual barrier Waiting at the reception to be escorted into the

managers office

3. Emotional barrier Being unable to read the notice board even from

a close distance

4. Cultural barrier Trying to ask for directions in Tokyo (you dont

know Japanese)

5. Language barrier Being pre-occupied while in a meeting

6. Physiological barrier Being so respectful toward elders that you dont

speak out even if they are wrong

7. Poor listening Pre-formed ideas

Glossary

Empathize: to understand and feel exactly the same emotion as the other

person

Nuances: very slight differences in meaning

Perceptive: quick to notice and understand things

1.7 LISTENING

Let us first understand what is meant by "listening" and also differentiate it from"hearing".

Listening and hearing are not the same.

We hear all sorts of noises in the world around us, but we do not listen to them all.

For example, people who live near busy roads get used to the sound of traffic and

don't hear it anymore. These are not things we want to listen to so we 'tune them

out' and don't usually notice them.

Listening is a form of communication and is an active process. When you listen you

must get meaning from what is being said before you can respond

Listening is important to each of us because it enables us to:

be more effective in our interpersonal relationships gain important information gather data to make correct decisions respond appropriately to the messages that we hear


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When we listen to others we need to listen to the total meaning, that is, both the

content and the attitudes or feelings underlying the content. Therefore, even though

listening may appear effortless - we still need concentration and commitment to the

listening process.

Listening involves much more than hearing a message. Hearing is merely the

physical aspect of listening: it is a relaxed, passive and physical occupation that

needs little or no effort of mind or will. Thus, it is possible to hear sounds, for

example, the chirping of birds, while concentrating on other tasks.

Three events take place if hearing is to take place properly.

We isolate the sounds correctly. We place the sounds in a meaningful order so that they may be recognized

as words.

We recognize words in a pattern that forms a language, which then helps toconvey the communicator's message to us.

Listening, on the other hand, is a mental and active process and thus it is practically

impossible to do other tasks effectively at the same time. Listening involves the

three steps necessary for the hearing process but also has two additional steps. They

are:

paying attention to the speaker

trying to understand what the other person is sayingTherefore, listening is the process of actively discovering and understanding the

meaning of verbal messages; it requires active participation of the individual.

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to

reply. They're either speaking or preparing to speak.

When another person speaks, we're usually 'listening' at one of four levels.

We may not be paying attention to another person, or not really listening atall.

We may be pretending - 'Yeah. Uh-huh. Right'. We may be engaged in selective listening, i.e., listening only to certain parts

of the conversation.

Or we may even be engaged in attentive listening, i.e., paying attention andfocusing energy on the words that are being said.

However, very few of us listen with the intent of understanding.


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We need to actively listen in order to understand the message as it is meant to be

understood.

The main parts of active listening are:

Being attentive

Responding appropriately to show that you are listening Thinking seriously and carefully about what is being said Summarizing for understanding

Active listening is a dynamic process and requires the listener to actively

participate in the communication process.

Have you ever misinterpreted someone's directions? For example, the term 'soon'.

If I say, I would like that project finished soon, please, then when would I like itdone? Does 'soon' mean today? Tomorrow? End of the week? Active listening

helps clarify such cases.

The listener may clarify by asking, Is tomorrow morning OK?

Evaluating what you have listened to is important as it helps you understand the

senders information. When you evaluate, you need to differentiate between facts

and emotion-laden words or statements.

For example, if someone tells you, "This dress looks absolutely fabulous on you.

You must buy it or youll be disappointed with yourself for not treating yourself to

such a gorgeous dress," the fact might be that you dont need the dress as you have

just bought one the day before. Therefore, you need to think through the facts and

analyze instead of getting influenced by emotion.


1. List two differences between "Hearing" and "Listening".

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2. What are the main components of active listening?

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Glossary

Dynamic: active

Isolate: separate someone or something from other people or things

Misinterpret: to understand something in the wrong way

Summarize: to describe briefly the main facts or ideas of something

1.8 TYPES OF LISTENING

Listening can be classified into many types. A few examples are given here in this

table.

TYPES OF LISTENING NAME DESCRIPTION

Active listening You listen closely to content and intent. What

emotional meaning might the speaker be giving

you? You try to block out barriers to listening.

Most importantly, you are not jumping to

criticize people and you are empathetic.

Inactive or passive listening In this type of listening, nothing of the speaker's

words goes into the mind of the listener. The

words of the speaker don't activate the thought

process of the listener. But the listeners are

physically present though mentally absent. The

listener may have decided to ignore the speaker

due to either a preconceived notion or lack of

interest in what the speaker is saying.


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Selective listening This type of listening is a little better than passive

listening in that the information of the speaker is

listened to in bits and pieces rather than the

whole of it. You occasionally take in some

information, probably because it is pleasant toyou or agreeable with your existing views.

However, you as the listener may be missing out

on the important part of the speaker's message.

This can also be classified under negative kinds

of listening since the important part of the

message is ignored and the benefit of it missed

out.You only hear what you want to hear. You

hear some of the message and immediately beginto formulate your reply without waiting for the

speaker to finish.

Reflective listening This is active listening when you think about

what the speaker is saying, reflect on it and make

sure there is mutual understanding.

Biased listening When you have a pre-formed opinion or belief

and you let it affect what you are listening to.

Comprehension listening Listening to understand, seeking meaning

analyzing.

Critical listening Listening in order to evaluate, criticize or

otherwise pass judgment on what someone else

says. This may not always be positive especially

when you pass judgment. However, if it is to

give positive feedback in order to progress, it is

acceptable.

Empathetic listening Seeking to understand what the other person is

feeling. Demonstrating this empathy. Empathy is

when you can actually feel exactly the same way

as the other person and literally live the situation

which the other person is experiencing.

Inactive listening Pretending to listen and not bothering to respond.


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Initial listening Listening at first, then thinking about a response

and looking to interrupt in the process of which

you miss what is being said further.


Match the following:

1. Active listening 1. The team leader was evaluating his teams

presentation.

2. Inactive or passive listening 2. John was very interested at first but soon he

lost interest

3. Critical listening 3. Jane listened carefully, understood, and

answered.

4. Biased listening 4. Meena was busy thinking about what she

would wear for the party that evening.

5. Initial listening 5. Bina thought to herself, "I dont think that

Kate is capable of making this presentation.

What is the use of listening to her?"

Glossary

Criticize: to say that someone or something is not quite right or the way theyshould be

Evaluate: to consider or study something carefully and decide how good or bad

it is

Interrupt: to disturb or stop someone while they are talking

Mutual: when two or more people have the same opinion about each other

Passive: not taking active part

1.9 EFFECTIVE LISTENING

In order to improve our listening skills we need to be aware of the major barriers to

effective listening.

Some barriers come from the listeners themselves (for example, disinterest in the

topic), some from the sender (for example, a boring tone) and others from the

environment (too much noise).


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Certain bad listening habits also act as barriers -

deciding in advance that the subject is uninteresting focusing on the poor delivery of the speaker rather than on what is being

said

concentrating on making ones own point focusing only on facts pretending to pay attention allowing distractions to interfere with listening responding emotionally to certain words or phrases day dreaming because of the difference between speech speed and thought

speed

How can you become an effective listener?

There are some skills that, with practice, can improve your listening competence.

A few things that you can do to become an effective listener:

Become interested in the topic to avoid boredom. Do not get distracted by the other persons appearance, dress, mannerisms,

etc.

Listen for concepts and major ideas. Don't pretend to be attentive and appear to be listening; be genuine. Listen to the entire message before evaluating.

Skill in listening is determined by how well all people in the communication

process have understood each other and how well they have communicated this

understanding. Listening involves clarifying and understanding the message by

taking an active interest in the communication process.

Some listening responses that need to be avoided

"You shouldn't feel that way. " "I have faced situations that were much worse than yours." "Don't blame me, I told you not to..." "What did you do to make him so angry?" "I certainly would have behaved in a better way than you did. What you did

was bad."

"Just because you are the boss, you think that you can do anything, is it?"


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"I dont agree with you."

Some listening responses that can be used-

"In other words, your decision was to..."

"Tell me more" "Really?" "Go on" "uh-huh" "Yeah" "I see" "That's interesting" "Please go on..." "What do you plan to do?" "How do you feel about that?" "How are you working this through?" "Have you just started feeling this way?"

"What are your reasons for feeling this way?" "I can tell you've given this a lot of thought." "I disagree with you but I respect your decision."


1. List at least 5 barriers to listening.

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2. Raja works for a computer company. He always gets into trouble while

interacting with his customers. He seems to get most of the facts mixed up.

His problem is that he is not a good listener. Could you help him to become

an effective listener? Please give him a few tips.

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Glossary

Competence: the ability to do something well

Genuine: real; sincere

1.10 POWERFUL SPEECH

To pack power into your speech:

Avoid expressions that show you are not sure of yourself like "I guess" and"kind of"

Remove expressions that show hesitation like "uh" and "you know" Avoid tag questions - "Communication is important, isn't it?" Use action verbs Use active voice: "I will complete this report today" instead of "This report

will be completed by me today."

Be clear in what you say.

Why should you pack power into your speech?

People who talk powerfully are accepted as being more credible, attractive and persuasive.

Powerful talk comes directly to the point.

Powerful talk does not show hesitation.

Powerful talk involves the use of lively, vivid language

Now that you have gone through the fundamentals of communication, you can

certainly understand the importance of communication in your life, especially if

you want to climb the ladder of success.


1. List three expressions, other than those mentioned in the text, that can show

hesitation.

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2. Give two reasons for the need to pack power into your speech.

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Glossary

Credible: able to be trusted or believed

1.11 LET US SUMMARISE

In this unit we have learnt that:

Communication involves a sender and a receiver Communication is not complete unless the desired response or result is

achieved

Verbal communication involves both spoken and written communication Hairstyles, color of clothing, and even silence can be modes of non-verbal

communication

Communication can have many barriers like physical, perceptual,emotional, cultural, physiological

Poor knowledge of language could also pose a barrier to communication Poor listening plays a role in miscommunication Listening is different from hearing There are many types of listening We can become effective listeners by overcoming listening barriers We can use simple yet effective ways to become powerful speakers

1.12 SUGGESTED SITES

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fundamentals-of-Communication&id=137356

http://lynn_meade.tripod.com/id193.htm

http://www.mindtools.com/page8.html

http://www.infoplease.com/homework/listeningskills1.html

http://esl.about.com/od/listeningquizzes/English_Listening_Comprehension_Quizz

unit 1 fundamentals of communication.pdf

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