Barriers to Listening (^43)
AN ANCIENT PROVERB emphasizes the comparative importance of listening:
“We have been given two ears and but a single mouth in order that we may hear
more and talk less.”^1 Unfortunately, we often focus less on developing our listen-
ing competencies than on improving our reading, writing, and speaking skills.
Listening is more than simply hearing. I can hear traffic outside, a door
slamming down the hall, rain against the window—that is, my ears pick up those
sounds, but I’m not listening to them. Listening is an active mental process in which
you interpret messages to understand and respond to them.^2 It takes motivation,
effort, and concentration. Listening has at least five elements: (1) receiving
sounds, (2) discriminating or distinguishing among them, (3) focusing attention,
(4) assigning meaning to the sounds, and then (5) remembering the information.
In contrast, something that goes in one ear and out the other is hearing.
Review the
chapter
Learning
Objectives
and Start
with a quick
warm-up
activity.
listening active process
that receives, distinguishes,
attends to, assigns meaning,
and remembers what you
hear
hearing physical process
involving sound waves,
eardrums, and brain
receptors
Because listening is so vital in many areas of life, this chapter first illus-
trates its importance and then looks at some factors that typically hinder effective
listening. Finally, it presents strategies you can use to become a more effective
listener.
Listening Skills Are Valuable
A recent Internet search for “listening skills” linked to almost half a billion sites offering
workshops, quizzes, advice, and activities that can improve listening in workplaces, in
classrooms, and in relationships. Obviously, people definitely see room for improvement,
and they value good listening for many reasons:
• Listening takes up much of our time. Listening is the most commonly used skill in
the workplace; understanding and following instructions (skills linked to listening)
come in second.^3 Furthermore, the average student spends fourteen hours each
week listening in class; this is over and above the hours spent listening to friends and
to media.^4
• Good listening skills are good job skills. In one study, 80 percent of executives ranked
listening as the most important work skill.^5 Other researchers found that physicians
with good listening skills had fewer malpractice claims.^6 And Madelyn Burley-Allen,
author of Listening: The Forgotten Skill, says the most common comment about well-
liked bosses is “he or she really listens to me.”^7 In occupations as diverse as dental
hygenist,^8 interior designer,^9 roofing contractor,^10 tax preparer,^11 journalist, and
politician, good listening makes a difference. President Calvin Coolidge once said,
“No one ever listened himself out of a job.”^12 In short, the most successful people are
generally effective listeners.
• Good listening skills are good academic skills. Researchers administered a listening test
to all incoming students at one university. At the end of the first year, 49 percent of
low-scoring listeners were on academic probation, compared to less than 5 percent of
high scorers. In contrast, 68.5 percent of high-scoring listeners were earning honors,
compared to just over 4 percent of low scorers.^13
• You have an investment in the listening situation. One university’s counseling service
advises students to develop a positive, consumer-wise attitude toward listening. The
fact that you are in a particular listening situation means you have something at stake.
Choosing to listen carefully and benefit from what you hear will help you gain the
most from your time.^14
These are only a few reasons that listening is important; you can probably think
of many other ways that good listening makes life easier. Pause now, and ask yourself
how your listening habits help or hinder your comprehension of course work. How are
listening skills used in a job you currently hold or plan to hold someday? Keep these
questions in mind as you study the remainder of the chapter.Barriers to Listening
The Chinese character for listening (Figure 4.1) combines the symbols for ears, eyes,
and heart; it reinforces the idea that good listeners are wholly involved in listening.
Most likely, you intend to listen well, but linguistic, cultural, and personal barriers can
hinder your effectiveness. Understanding these barriers and planning strategies to deal
with them will build your listening skills.Read, highlight, and take
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