listening skills

Listening skill can be defined as, Listening is the act of hearing attentively. It is also a process
similar to reading which should possess knowledge of phonology, syntax, semantics and text
understanding.
Thomlison (1984) defines listening as, Active listening, which is very important for effective
communication. Listening can be also defined as, More than just hearing and to understand
and interpret the meaning of a conversation
Listening is the act of hearing attentively. Research shows that 45% of our time is spent on
listening. We listen more than speak. If this listening skill is used in a proper way we can master
the tools of communicative skills. Listening is difficult, as human mind tends to distract easily. A
person who controls his mind and listens attentively acquires various other skills and is
benefited.
Types of listening :
1. Superficial Listening :
In this type of listening the listener has little awareness of the content what is being said. The
output in this type of listening is zero because the listener tends to ignore the message, and is not
able to concentrate on the theme, main points and supporting details of the message.
2 .Appreciative listening:
The main purpose of appreciative listening is to get enjoyment and pleasure. The output may be
taking part in the entertainment process.
3. Focused Listening;
It involves listening for specific information. This is the most common type of listening that we
practice in non formal oral communicative situations.
4. Evaluative Listening;
It involves evaluation of the oral message or commentary and developing a line of thought. The
listener interprets and analysis what he or she listens to in order to understand both the explicit as
well as implicit meaning of the oral message. Thus the main purpose of evaluative listening is to
evaluate the content of the oral message to select appropriate information.

5. Attentive Listening:
It demands the complete attention of the listener. It is basically active and intelligent listening in
situations such as group discussions, meetings, job interviews and so on. The listener pays
attention to all parts of the message, that is , the central idea, main points, supporting details,
examples and illustrations.
6. Content Listening:
It is to understand and retain the speakers message. You may ask questions, but basically
information flows from the speaker to you. It doesnt matter that you agree or disagree, approve
or disapprove-only that you understand.

7. Critical Listening:
It is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the speakers message on several levels. When
the purpose is to accept or reject the message or to evaluate it critically. For example: listening to
a sales person before making a purchase involves critical listening. Similarly,when you read a
book with the objective of writing book review.
8. Empathetic Listening;
When we listen to a distressed friend who wants to share his feelings, we provide emotional and
moral support in the form of Empathetic Listening. When psychiatrists listen to their patients,
their listening is classified as empathetic listening.
Self management:
Self management is all about how you manage yourself day to day, month to month, year to
year. It is not only about managing yourself in the here and now, but also about forward planning
and goal setting so that you can look ahead in your life with confidence.
Self disclosure:
Self- disclosure is describing your personal facts, feelings and opinions to others. Actually selfdisclosure is something that you can do intentionally- unintentionally. You can reveal your
problems to your best friend. Your facial expression, posture or gestures may say something
about your mood even if you think that youre hiding your problems.
Another simple definition of self disclosure is;
The process of deliberately revealing significant information about oneself that would not
normally be known by others: it can be verbal or non verbal