Page 179 - Keys To Community College Success

KEY 6.1 The listening process.

SPEAKER DELIVERS MESSAGE TO LISTENER

REACTION EVALUATION INTERPRETATION SENSATION
Listener provides Listener judges Listener attaches Listener hears
feedback to message against meaning message when
speaker through personal needs to message ears pick up
questions and and values sound waves
comments

■ During the sensing stage (also known as hearing), your ears pick up sound waves
and transmit them to the brain. For example, you are sitting in class and hear
your instructor say, “The only opportunity to make up last week’s test is Tuesday
at 5:00 p.m.”
■ In the interpreting stage, you attach meaning to a message: You understand what
is said and link it to what you already know. You relate this message to your
knowledge of the test, whether you need to make it up, and what you are doing
on Tuesday at 5:00.
■ In the evaluating stage, you compare the message with your needs and values.
If the message goes against your values or does not fulfill your needs, you may
reject it, stop listening, or argue in your mind with the speaker. In this example,
if you need to make up the test but have to work Tuesday at 5:00, you may not
like the message.
■ The final stage of listening is a reacting to the message through direct feedback. In
a classroom, direct feedback often means asking questions and making comments.
For example, your reaction may be to ask the instructor if she can schedule another
test time.
You will become a better listener by recognizing and managing listening chal-
lenges and becoming actively involved with the material.

Become an Active Listener
On the surface, listening seems like a passive activity: You sit back as someone else
speaks. In reality, effective listening is an active process. Risk the following actions to
earn the reward of greater retention and understanding:

■ Be there. Being an active listener starts with showing up on time, preferably a few
minutes before class begins. Instructors often make important announcements in
the first few minutes of class and may also summarize the last lecture.
■ Set purposes for listening. Before every class, establish the reward you are aiming Listening and Note Taking
for, such as understanding a concept. Many instructors start class with a statement
of purpose, so listen carefully and write it at the top of your notes to help you focus.

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