CHAPTER FIVE
IMPROVING YOUR LISTENING SKILLS
OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter students should be able to:
2. Understand the process of listening
4. Recognize six barriers to listening
5. Describe how to become an active listener and speaker
Note: Before assigning this chapter to students, it is helpful to use the listening assessment as a pre-test. See the
discussion of Exercise 5.
Additional Skill Builder Exercises
3. Memory exercise. Have every student in your class state his or her name and major. After
they have finished hearing from the entire class, have them try to recall (in sequence) the names
and majors from memory to assess how carefully they listened to each class member. This is a
4. Listening Journal Exercise. Many instructors ask students to keep listening journals or
diaries throughout the course. If your class is really well motivated, you might simply ask them
to keep a weekly diary of their listening behaviors. Have them describe their behavior as they
listen to speeches. Also ask them to evaluate how they listen and respond to feedback while they
are making speeches.
Part I. Have students keep a journal of their daily listening activities for two weeks and ask
them to record the following data:
A. Type of event listened to
B. Amount of time spent listening to that activity
C. Type of listening behavior the student experienced
D. Overall evaluation of how effectively the student listened.
E. Aspects of the listening situation that made it easy or hard to concentrate to the
sender
Part II. By looking over their journals, have students write down those situations that really
interested them, list the situations to which they had difficulty listening, then list all the situations
that bored them.
Part III. Ask students to look through their journals and make a list of any distractions (external,
internal, or semantic noise) that made it difficult for them to listen. Ask: did you give in to any of
Part IV. Have students review their journals again and select the listening situations that they
consciously or unconsciously blocked out. Ask: why did you block out the communication and
what were your emotional states at the time? Were you tired, worried, under stress, or were you
experiencing conflicts? Did you disagree with the speaker? Did you dislike the speaker, the
speaker’s style, or the way the speaker was dressed? Did something the speaker say make you
angry?
Part V. Have students look over their journals and select a situation they listened to only
partially. Ask? Why did you listen selectively? Did your lack of attentive listening cause you any
damage in the situation? If so, explain.
5. Listening Test. This fifteen-question listening assessment works well as a pre-test
administered before students read the chapter. Tell the class that the test is being given to
identify areas where improvement is needed and that high or low scores will not affect grades.
1. I wait until a speech is over before I evaluate it.
2. I keep an open mind when I hear a speaker’s topic.
3. A speaker’s appearance does not influence my thinking.
4. A speaker’s delivery or style of speaking doesn’t influence or
affect my feelings about a topic.
5. I keep my mind focused on what the speaker is saying at the
moment rather than daydreaming about something else
6. I don’t let distractions take away my concentration.
7. I give the speaker honest and appropriate feedback while the
speaker is talking.
8. I work hard at listening to people.
9. I don’t block people out when they are speaking.
10. When a speaker has finished, I can recall the main points
of the speech.
11. I seek difficult listening situations that required a lot of
effort.
12. I don’t fake attention when someone is talking to me.
13. I don’t mentally critique the speaker when the speaker is
talking.
14. I don’t tune out the speaker if I hear a word, phrase, or
idea that I don’t agree with.
15. I find that I listen completely and not selectively or in a
piecemeal manner.
Subtotal from each column
Grand total from all columns _______________________
Scoring:
55-64 Total score indicates listening is sporadic and needs to change weak areas
6. Daily record of listening. This one-day exercise can be completed quickly. Have students
evaluate their listening habits on a heavy day of communication-related activity, for instance,
when they are in class and/or at work. If they follow the directions in the exercise, their record
should resemble this example.
Daily Record of Listening Behavior
Date 9-7-09
Listening Time Active Passive Description of Listening Behavior
_____________________________________________________________
Biology
Class
Lecture
9:50
10:45
X
I tried to listen. The material was difficult. I
tended to daydream when I had difficulty
following the information. I listened about
Lunch
Conversation
English
Class
Test
Mall
12:30-
1:30
2:05-
3:30
X
45% of the time. Began thinking about
Spring vacation and the beach.
Had lunch in the Student Union with two
friends. They were talking about plans to
hang out with their girl-friends on Saturday
night. I started thinking that I wasn’t going
out with anyone and maybe I needed to work
on that. Also began thinking about my
English test this afternoon. I didn’t hear
much of what my friends said. In fact, one of
them asked me why I was so quiet.
Tried to remember some of the facts given in
class about the poets. Was able to recall all
important info. I analyzed the poem and was
one of the last people to finish. Think I did
well on the test.
Went to the dentist for my 6 month check-up.
was ridiculous, but it’s obvious that I’m not
always a good listener. I think I have to put
down both active and passive. Even though I
listened to what she said now, I must have
blocked her out when she told me the week of
7. Listening Process. Have students prepare for this exercise by studying the Wolvin-Coakley
listening model presented in the text. Ask students to divide into groups of 3 or 4. Ask them to
3. Listening, receiving, attending to, and assigning meaning (working from wide top to narrower
bottom of cone, thus limiting meaning of stimulus).
5. Wider bottom of feedback cone: wider interpretation of message formulated by listener
(receiving, attending, assigning meaning).
Infotrac/Library Database Exercise
1. What was the purpose of the article?
2. What examples or details does the author provide to support conclusions?
3. What is your evaluation of the article?
4. How can the ideas contribute to your listening skills?