Acknowledge - Show them you are listening.

Respond - Close the communication loop; give feedback through clarification, questions, comments.

Exercise emotional control - Be aware of screening information through values, bias, preconceived judgments.

Sense - Listen for intent, as well as content.

Structure - Feed back what they said: give topic, main points, rationale, sequence of timing, other items of importance.

HEARING - involves eyes, as well as ears.

1. CONCENTRATE
   • Avoid barriers that prevent us from hearing:
     • Environmental distractions - verbal, fan, outside noises.

     • Visual - designs which distract (camera: figure and background; one or the other blurs out depending on the focus).

2. ACKNOWLEDGE
   • Acknowledge speaker with eye contact, questions, nodding the head, appropriate facial expressions, vocal prompts.

   • Give undivided attention; focus on the speaker; move everything else out of way.

   • These acknowledgments feel good to the speaker and spur the speaker on.

   • If you are the speaker and the audience is not giving you these acknowledgements, don't try harder - don't overcompensate. Continue as you intended. Your message is probably getting across anyway.

3. RESPOND

   Ask questions; make comments.

   Clarifying: I hear what you are saying, but I am not quite sure of ________________.

   Directive: I hear, I understand, I've had enough, move on.

   Continuing: Tell me more...then what, what else?

4. EXERCISE EMOTION CONTROL

   Don't bias a message.

   • White socks with a business suit may cause an emotional block in the listener.

   • Words can bias the message: sexual or racial comments reduce the speaker's credibility.

   • Recognize when losing emotional control (voice gets higher, perspire, shorter breaths). Redirect your emotional control (long breaths, count to 10).

   • If you have an urge to interrupt - take a long breath.

5. LISTEN between the lines.
   • vocal - intonation, emphasis, stress

     I didn't say she took that.

   • visual - body language (Nixon vs. Kennedy debate; radio vs. t.v.; same message, different opinions).

     Stop and ask for feedback if unclear because the words and the nonverbal message differ. Being more aware makes us better listeners.

6. STRUCTURE feedback in the sequence the info was given.

   Improve auditory memory (expand ability to listen and remember).

   Take notes - might be missing body language while taking notes; try shorter, more cryptic notes so can look up at seaker.

Picture a superb listener - give one word to describe.
Empathetic

Caring

Loving

Calm

Sincere

Concerned

Picture a poor listener - give one word to describe.

Distracted

Egotistical

Hyper

Selfish

Talkative