Selective Listening

All communications are received but 70-90% are screened out or changed by the receiver. There are three major listening filters that may affect the overall quality of our listening effectiveness. Listening is affected by

* Selective Attention,

* Selective Interpretation and

* Selective Retention. 

We’re always tuned to WII-FM (’What’s in it for me?’)

We adopt one of five listening approaches:-

Feeling-Oriented

1. Appreciative

2. Empathic

Fact-Oriented

3. Comprehensive

4. Discerning

5. Evaluative

Adopt an Appropriate Listening Approach
The Personal Listening Profile helps individuals identify their preferred Listening Approach, and develop an understanding of when another Listening Approach may be appropriate. With this knowledge, respondents will be able to develop a more effective communication strategy when listening to others in a variety of environments. By using the best Listening Approach for the situation, overall communication will be improved.

When considering which Listening Approach is best-suited, there are three primary factors to consider: Focus (Purpose and Intent of the Communication), Motivation (How we Best Accomplish that Purpose), and Behavioral Indicators (Appropriate Verbal and Nonverbal Signals that Execute the Strategy).

Applications

Customer Service

* Improve listening effectiveness when dealing with dissatisfied customers

Selling Skills

* Use the most effective listening approach to best understand the prospect’s needs

Conflict Resolution

* Foster a positive listening environment

Management Development

* Improve supervisory skills when dealing with employees who have a problem

*For an account of what happened in the last meeting, do go to http://www.oticonsulting.com/4.1.12_december.htm