Improving General Listening Performance

Let’s have a look at some general principles that can help us improve our overall listening performance. To the extent that we improve attention, interpretation, and storage, we become better listeners.

Improving Attention

In the earlier section on message effectiveness, we looked at two kinds of atten­tion: involuntary and voluntary. Involuntary attention occurs when strong extraneous stimuli capture our attention. Voluntary attention occurs when we willfully focus our attention on a particular subject. Because attention occurs in short bursts and because external stimuli are constantly vying for our involun­tary attention, we must make a special effort to ensure that our voluntary atten­tion stays focused. In other words, we continually have to remind ourselves to pay attention.

One way to improve attention is to recognize how easy it is to be diverted by extraneous details and make an effort to stay focused. A speaker’s clothes or manner­isms, unusual environmental details, competing sounds or movements, or our own concerns and feelings can divert voluntary attention. If we get caught up in these matters, our attention will fade out. Other sources of distractions are self-consciousness (focusing so much on how you are coming across that you miss what the other person is saying) and competitive turn taking (planning and plotting what you will say next, rather than attending to the other person). Luckily, it is possible to override these distractions and refocus attention.

Because voluntary attention is guided by goals and plans, it is especially important to have a clear purpose in mind upon entering a listening situation. In other words, know what you want to accomplish by listening, and remind your­self of your purpose whenever you find your attention straying. If, for example, you are listening to a lecture, your purpose may be to understand and remem­ber the speaker's main points as well as supporting examples. Knowing what to listen for when you enter the situation will help you stay focused. In an inter­personal situation, your goal may be to understand as clearly as possible what is bothering a friend and to give him or her feedback. This goal can then direct your attention.

One of the interesting aspects of listening is that we can listen much faster than we can speak. The normal rate of speaking is approximately 150 words per minute, but studies have shown that we can process messages at rates of 300 words per minute or even higher. This means that as we listen, we have plenty of time to think – or to drift off into daydreams. We can use the time differential between speaking and processing to think about message content and structure rather than to daydream or let attention drift to extraneous details. In public speaking situations, fill time by identifying main ideas, recalling supporting details, and looking for transitions that will identify the structure of the speech. In interper­sonal contexts, focus on identifying your partner's feelings and checking their nonverbal communication. Most listening situations include spare time. Use it to paraphrase content, relate what is said to what you already know, add your own details, and review and summarize the main ideas of the message.

Finally, you can improve attention by giving yourself reasons to listen. Don’t dismiss a message ahead of time because you assume it will be boring. If you enter a listening situation expecting the worst, nonlistening becomes inevitable.