Business Communication
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I. Various types of listening
Do you know how much time you spend listening? It is estimated that half of our time is
spent for listening. Moreover, in fact, some 80 percent of Top executives say that
listening is the most important skill needed to get things done in the workplace.
Therefore, no matter what career path you choose, listening is a vital skill. Have you ever
asked yourself if you are a good listener? Even most of us are not good listeners;
however, listening is a skill that you can always improve. On this assignment, I am trying
to identify the ways to improve listening skills so that people can improve quality of
work and relationships with others as well.
Recognizing various types of listening
In order to be a good listener, you should try to adapt the way you listen to suit each
situation because different situations require different types of listening. We may listen to obtain information, improve a relationship, gain appreciation for something, make
discriminations, or engage in a critical evaluation. Before we can fully appreciate the
skills and apply to the actual situation, we must understand the different types of
listening.
According to “A team approach to Behavior Management” by Chris Derrington & Barry
Groom in 2004, they divided listening into 5 types as below:
Informative Listening
The definition is where the listeners primary concern is to understand the message.
Informative listening, or listening to understand, is found in all areas of our lives. Much
of our learning comes from informative listening. For example, we listen to lectures or
instructions from teachers–and what we learn depends on how well we listen. In the
workplace, we listen to understand new practices or procedures–and how well we
perform depends on how well we listen. We listen to instructions, briefings, reports, and
speeches; if we listen poorly, we arent equipped with the information we need.
There are three key variables related to informative listening. Knowing these variables
can help you begin to improve your informative listening skills; that is, you will become
increasingly successful in understanding what the speaker means. They are vocabulary,
concentration and memory.
Appreciative Listening
Appreciative listening is where the listener gains pleasure or satisfaction from listening.
These are personal preferences and may have been shaped through our experiences and
expectations. The quality of appreciative listening depends in large part on three factors: presentation, perception and previous experience. However, we can change our
perception and experience by changing our attitudes. From that, we can learn to be better
appreciative listeners.
Critical Listening
When we receive information from someone, we always try to weigh up whether the
speaker is credible, or the message is logical. I personally think that the ability to listen
critically is essential in a democracy. On the job, in the community, in the family–there