
Listening is an active process that constructs meaning from both verbal and nonverbal messages.

The sounds we hear have no meaning until we give them their meaning in context. Attending is the process of accurately identifying and interpreting particular sounds we hear as words. Paired with hearing, attending is the other half of the receiving stage in the listening process. The clearer the sound, the easier the listening process becomes. As obvious as it may seem, in order to effectively gather information through listening, we must first be able to physically hear what we’re listening to. Hearing is the physiological process of registering sound waves as they hit the eardrum. The first stage of the listening process is the receiving stage, which involves hearing and attending. Having the ability to interpret a person’s body language lets the listener develop a more accurate understanding of the speaker’s message. This active listening chart shows three main degrees of listening: repeating, paraphrasing, and reflecting.Īctive listening can also involve paying attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language. 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. Active listening is most often used to improve personal relationships, reduce misunderstanding and conflicts, strengthen cooperation, and foster understanding. The ability to actively listen demonstrates sincerity, and that nothing is being assumed or taken for granted. The goal of this repetition is to confirm what the listener has heard and to confirm the understanding of both parties. 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.Įffectively engaging in all five stages of the listening process lets us best gather the information we need from the world around us.Īctive 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. These stages will be discussed in more detail in later sections. The listening process involves five stages: receiving, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding. Listening is an active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we hear.

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 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. Appendix G: Stages of Listening Stages of the Listening Process
