Listening

Learning Outcome #1: Learners will identify a variety of purposes for listening.

Content/Generic Skills		Instructor Notes
Listen for personal enrichment.  (LL)  (CCT)  (VaD) (V)	Learners will: Listen to a variety of mediums (e.g. videos, music, the radio, local Elders or storytellers, etc.) for enrichment.
Listen to learn and to understand. (C) (CCT) (LL) (VaD) (IT)	Learners will: Correctly identify and paraphrase the main idea and supporting details when given a verbal message. Show respect for others’ views, opinions, thoughts, and feelings.	Refer to Tip 1.1   Refer to Tip 1.2
Listen to build relevant relationships.  (C) (CCT) (IT) (LL)	Learners will: Listen to build relevant relationships within the  community or workplace (e.g. etiquette issues such as: telephone manners, message taking, politeness, showing respect for different communications styles, active listening without judging).	Refer to Tip 1.3   Refer to Tip 1.4
Set and monitor learning goals for listening.  (LL)  (CCT)	Learners will: Set learning goals for listening. Reassess strengths and areas for further development throughout the course. Identify special learning needs and advocate for self to have needs addressed.  Adjust learning goals as required.	Refer to Tip 1.5
Assessment Reflections: Have I been a good model for active listening, empathetic listening, and listening to build relationships? (C) (CCT) (LL) Have I encouraged my learners to critically reflect upon times when listening may have improved a situation? (CCT) (LL)

Instructor Tips

1.1) This can be integrated with a skill in the learning outcomes for Speaking or other curricula.

1.2) Help learners to understand that empathetic communication skills involve more time spent listening and less time in rebuttal.  When sharing one's own thoughts and feelings, there is no "right or wrong."  Feelings and thoughts are personal and unique.  Listening with empathy shows that we honour and respect the feelings and thoughts of the one who is talking.

1.3) Discuss potential workplace communications that may be difficult, such as the following:

• How do you deal with people at work who make impossible demands?  Focus on listening to their entire request and then determine what they are really saying.

• What if you work with people who continually use offensive language?  One way to handle it may involve simply walking away.  You do not have to participate in conversations at that level.

1.4) Stress that by listening to others, you demonstrate respect by showing that what they are saying is important.  You are also learning and increasing your chances of succeeding when listening. 

1.5) Regularly scheduled meetings between instructor and learner allow the learner to reflect upon learning, assess progress towards learning goals, and adjust her goals as required.  These meetings are also opportunities for the instructor to provide feedback on progress.

Learning Outcome #2:  Learners will recognize that listening is an active process of constructing meaning.

Instructor Tips

2.1) Encourage learners to prepare to listen with some of the following strategies:

• Lay aside any judgements and preconceived ideas of what is going to be said.  Often we think that we know what is going to be shared; therefore, we tune out the actual words being spoken.  Maintain an attitude of acceptance and open-mindedness, not only to accomplish the specific listening task, but also to learn and to appreciate other ways of seeing the world.

• Be mentally focused and anticipate the message.

• In European-based cultures, displaying good eye contact means that you are very interested in the person who is talking, as well as being interested in what he is saying.  Eye contact allows one to connect with the other person on a deep level and most often, trust is established.  However, within some other cultures (including some Aboriginal cultures), eye contact is considered disrespectful.  Be aware that cultural behaviours and practices vary, and adapt physical listening techniques to suit the speaker.

• Listen with the eyes, the ears, and the body.

• Sometimes people do not listen because they are anticipating their own response to what is being said.  Good listeners hear the entire thoughts of the speaker first, and then formulate an appropriate response.  Listeners should paraphrase the speaker’s comments before responding.  This forces the listener to hear what the speaker is saying before the listener thinks of her own points or arguments.

2.2) Assist learners in becoming “selfish listeners,” whereby they actively listen to and question the message to enhance the meaning.  Learners can ask internal questions (e.g. Does this relate to what I already know or what I’ve experienced?  How does this relate to what I am learning?  What is the next step going to be?  How does that work?, etc.).

2.3) Reflective listening keeps both parties focused.  Often a listener needs to internally reflect upon or paraphrase what he has heard.  Words have different meanings to different people; one word, interpreted differently, can change the understanding of the thought.  To reflect back to a speaker what you have heard, without giving advice, keeps you and the speaker "in tune" and on the same level.

2.4) Allow time for learners to reflect and think about what was heard before they respond.

2.5) With the assistance of learners, create assessment tools for this purpose.

2.6) Help learners to identify when they are responding inappropriately or interrupting the speaker (e.g. Learners keep a journal for a week, whereby they record the number of times they catch themselves interrupting each day.  They can note who they were speaking with, the time of day, the topic, any recurring patterns, whether they interrupt some people more than others, etc.).

Learning Outcome #3: Learners will demonstrate appropriate behaviours of effective listeners while completing a variety of listening activities.

Instructor Tips

3.1) A learner’s self-assessment tool and/or an instructor’s assessment tool may be helpful for assessing attentive and active listening.

3.2) This can be integrated with skills in the learning outcomes for Speaking or other curricula. 

3.3) Responding critically and respectfully can include being specific, beginning and ending with positive comments, giving specific suggestions for improvement, and using “I” statements rather than “You” statements.

3.4) Critical analyses of messages will vary, according to the purpose of the speech and the message itself (e.g. When listening to a persuasive message, learners will analyse the effectiveness of a strong argument that is supported by reliable details.).

3.5) Through their particular discourse communities, learners need to become aware of accepted topics, language and vocabulary, tone, assumptions, formalities and informalities, etc.

3.6) Model empathetic responses in the classroom environment.

3.7) Help learners to perform memory building exercises (e.g. repeating information to yourself; chunking - sorting information into larger sections or “chunks” for easier recall; focusing by identifying the most important piece of information for you; etc.).