Listening Is a Skill Requiring Preparation
FEATURES
Listening is without a doubt the most often neglected communication skill.
In addition to the direct bearing communication has on the learning process, a more serious aspect can be experienced in relation to fireground operations. In many cases, a small misunderstanding can lead to excessive fire damage or even worse, unnecessary injury to fire fighters.
Opportunities to listen are so numerous that it is one of the best ways for all of us to further our knowledge and understanding. However, hearing alone cannot be considered listening. Effective listening involves a certain amount of understanding and response on the part of the listener.
Shared responsibility
Poor listeners tend to ignore the fact that they share part of the responsibility in the communication process. Certainly the speaker initiates the process and may be responsible for controlling it to a certain degree, but he alone cannot be blamed for the failure of his audience to listen.
Consider the following example:
A stranger enters a fire station, introduces himself and requests information concerning a certain piece of fire suppression equipment. After you furnish the information, he addresses you by name, thanks you for your help and starts to leave. You wish to respond by making him welcome to visit again in the future but you cannot recall his name. Embarrassing, isn’t it?
We all tend to blame such events on a poor memory, but in reality, memory has nothing to do with it. The reason we can’t recall a new acquaintance’s name five minutes after being introduced is because we failed to listen when the name was spoken. Oh we heard it ail right, but without an active response on our part, the mere act of hearing was not effective.
Effort by students needed
Fire service instructors are often faced with a number of students whose attitude is: “OK, the department says I have to be here; now teach me if you can.” If knowledge could be transferred to students in the same manner as water is transferred to a fire, this might be possible. Unless students realize that learning requires effort on their part as well as the instructor’s, very little learning can take place.
Well-trained instructors nearly always employ tricks of the trade to hold the student’s attention, but despite these efforts, effective communication is a two-way street. Listeners must approach the classroom situation with the willingness to exert whatever effort becomes necessary to profit from the speaker’s message.
So far, we have examined only the listener’s role in establishing effective communication. The speaker or instructor also has responsibilities.
Delivery rate effect
The difference between a speaker’s delivery rate and a listener’s thinking rate is so great it becomes very easy for the listener’s mind to wander. The normal rate for a speaker is 100 to 125 words per minute while an average listener can think in a range of 400 to 500 words per minute. A good listener will use this difference to review what the speaker has said and anticipate what he is about to say. By doing this, two important learning activities are taking place—mental activity and repetition. Any repeating, forecasting, summarizing or paraphrasing done by the listener increases his comprehension and retention.
Many speakers begin by making a general statement and then use several illustrations or facts to back it up. Others may begin with the facts and lead up to an important generalization or concept. Both approaches are effective and are commonly used. It becomes the listener’s obligation to associate the relationship of examples and illustrations to the main idea regardless of the speaker’s technique.
We have a tendency to associate the mere accumulation of facts with knowledge. In reality, only those facts which are associated correctly with the topic are of any value. A student with an abundance of facts but lacking in understanding can be compared to the prospector’s mule. He may be loaded with gold, but he isn’t rich.
Effective listening requires a certain amount of preparation by the listener. He must put aside all probable distractions and be physically relaxed but mentally alert. A pencil and paper should be ready for taking notes and the listener should be especially alert to the speaker’s opening remarks. Otherwise, he may miss the basic structure on which the main ideas will be built. The listener should try to associate what the speaker says with his own knowledge of the subject.
Taking notes
In a classroom, effective listening can be reinforced by taking notes. This will help recall the information and relive the learning experience. Notes should be brief, but they must contain sufficient information to be useful.
One system of note-taking lists main ideas at the top of the page with supportive facts or other material underneath.
Another system, which seems to be gaining in popularity, uses two vertical columns. On the left is a list of main ideas, concepts or principles. The column on the right contains supportive material.
Regardless of the format, the listener should use a note-taking system with which he feels comfortable and which does not demand too much of his attention.
Listeners should strive to be openminded when a speaker’s views contradict their own. If the listener dwells too much on the area of disagreement, a vital part of the presentation may be lost. It is best to listen patiently and attentively while trying to observe through supporting evidence why the speaker holds such views to be true. After waiting, listening, understanding and evaluating, the listener is better prepared to question or discuss the speaker’s views.
Audience reaction
Speakers quickly sense acceptance or rejection by the audience and listeners can assist merely by showing a genuine interest. When audience reaction is positive, it generates more effort by the speaker. An unfavorable reaction by listeners usually has an even greater effeet, but everyone involved suffers in the sense that they do not benefit fully from the learning experience.
Whether we are dealing with a classroom situation or participating in a one-on-one conversation, very little can be gained by listening passively. Nor is it possible to listen effectively while your mind is busy trying to formulate a response to something someone else is saying. We must give the other fellow his chance.
The ability to listen effectively is not acquired easily. We have to develop better listening techniques and practice them until they become a regular part of our daily routine.
