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Listening and Reading Skills.

This document discusses listening and reading skills. It covers the importance of listening, types of listening like marginal, evaluative and active listening. It discusses the steps of listening, barriers to listening and how to overcome them. It also discusses techniques for effective reading like speed reading, types of reading like skimming and scanning. It provides steps for skimming and scanning texts effectively as well as steps for better reading. The document emphasizes that listening is the most important communication skill and managers should aim to be active listeners.

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Lavanya Kawale
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68 views

Listening and Reading Skills.

This document discusses listening and reading skills. It covers the importance of listening, types of listening like marginal, evaluative and active listening. It discusses the steps of listening, barriers to listening and how to overcome them. It also discusses techniques for effective reading like speed reading, types of reading like skimming and scanning. It provides steps for skimming and scanning texts effectively as well as steps for better reading. The document emphasizes that listening is the most important communication skill and managers should aim to be active listeners.

Uploaded by

Lavanya Kawale
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Listening and

Reading Skills
UNIT 4
Listening Skills
• Key to receiving messages effectively.
• The most important of all the skills of Communication.
• The higher your position in an organization, the greater is your
listening responsibility.
The Steps of Listening.
• Hearing
• Interpretation
• Evaluation
• Response/Feedback
Importance of Listening
The ability to listen carefully will allow the person to :
• Understand assignments in a better way ;
• Build rapport with co-workers, bosses and clients ;
• Show support ;
• Answer questions ;
• Find more information ;
• Obtain suggestions and new ideas ;
• Learn about people and how their minds work.
Type of Listening
Marginal Listening Evaluative Listening Active/Empathic
Listening
• Poor Listening • It traps a listener into the
temptation of passing hasty • The best Listening
judgements about the
speaker.
Active Listener / Empathic Listener
• Pays close attention to what the speaker says ;
• Intervenes very little ;
• Uses encouraging head nods and words of appreciation ;
• Is willing to listen completely ;
• Critically understands the speaker's statements ;

All managers must aim to become active listeners.


Listening Barriers.

Psychological Environmental Emotional/Personal Linguistic/Semantic Socio-cultural Physiological


Barriers Distractions Barrier Barriers Barriers Barriers
• Hasty evaluation • Physical distractions • Beliefs and attitudes • Speakers style of • Sense of time • Hearing Impairment
• Closed mindedness • Loud talking • Sad memories speaking • Different cultural • Hunger
• Inability to pay • Visual barriers • Fear • Difficult words and background • Tiredness
attention use of jargon • Space • Pain
• Anxiety
• Envy /dislike • Lag time
• Anger
• Egocentrism • Mispronounced words
• The urge to debate or
advise
Overcoming Listening Barriers
• Be a proactive listener.
• Face the speaker with right body language.
• Maintain eye contact.
• Minimize external distraction.
• Respond appropriately.
• Minimize internal distraction.
• Keep an open mind.
• Carry a notebook to take down brief notes.
• Take proper rest and food before your meetings/seminars/lectures etc.
• Avoid letting the speaker know how you handled a similar situation.
Steps to Effective listening
• Face the speaker confidently and respectfully.
• Be attentive, but relaxed.
• Keep an open mind.
• Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
• Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your solutions.
• Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.
• Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
• Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
• Give regular feedback.
• Pay attention to what isn't said - to non-verbal cues.
Reading Skills
Reading skill refers to the ability to understand the written text.
• Most business papers need routine reading to collect information.
• Reading materials : Trade journals, house – magazines,
reports, memoranda on all kinds of topics, newspapers, books,
magazines, etc.
Techniques of Reading : Speed Reading
• Speed reading must be silent.
• Silent reading can be very rapid.
• Eye movement needs training for fast reading.
• Fast reading requires concentration, time, proper light, silence and
sound mind.
Types of Reading
Skimming Scanning

It is reading rapidly in order It is reading rapidly and


to get a general overview or efficiently in order to find
the gist of the text. some specific facts or
required information.
How to Skim a text effectively ?
• Know what you want.
• Run your eyes down the middle of the text.
• Read vertically as well as horizontally.
• Think like the author.
• Read the first sentence in each paragraph.
• If you feel that the book or article is not what you need, you need not
go further with it.
Steps for better reading :
• Stop when you get confused and try to summarize what you just
read.
• If you still struggle, try reading aloud.
• Re-read (or skim) previous sections of the text.
• Skim or read upcoming sections of the text.
• If required, discuss the text with a friend.
Steps for Scanning :
• Look at the table of contents.
• Read the chapter headings.
• Search the keywords.
• Read the first two paragraphs of the article and the concluding
paragraph.
• You will get the hang of the logic and organization of the article.

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