Unit+2

**Activity 1: Are you Active or Passive**
In this activity you will:
 * 1) Distinguish between hearing and listening - hearing is passive, listening is active.
 * 2) Review effective listening tips.
 * 3) Reflect on the importance of listening in the business world and your daily life.

**Hearing and Listening**
If you think of the expression "in one ear and out the other", the distinction between hearing and listening is easily made. Hearing is a passive process. It is different from listening, which is an active mental process. A good listener actively listens to the entire message as there is a real distinction between merely hearing the words and really listening for the message. When we listen effectively we understand what the person is thinking and/or feeling from the other person's own perspective. To listen effectively, we must be actively involved in the communication process and not just listening passively.

**Are You a Good Listener?**

 * Do you look at the person who is speaking to you?
 * Do you maintain eye contact with the person who is speaking?
 * Do you pay attention and not fidget?
 * Do you lean forward, listening with your whole body, not just with your ears?
 * Do you pay attention to the other person's body language, facial expression and tone of voice?
 * Do you stop yourself from being easily distracted by unimportant noises or interruptions?
 * Do you put aside any items such as pens or paperclips that you might be tempted to fiddle with?
 * Do you let the speaker finish and not interrupt or change the subject?
 * Do you let the person take whatever time is necessary to complete the message?
 * Do you use body language to indicate that you are listening to the speaker; such as a nod, a smile, a frown?
 * Do you ask questions if you need to clarify what you do not understand?

**Assignment 1**
====**Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio section of your blog.** In approximately 200 words, recall an occasion at work or at home when you were required to apply good listening skills but did not. Briefly describe the situation, the result of not listening, and what the outcome would have been had you listened.====

**Activity 2**
In this activity you will:
 * 1) Focus on the five levels of listening.
 * 2) Examine the barriers to effective listening.
 * 3) Review tips for improving your personal listening skills.

**Levels of Listening**
Read [|**levels of listening**]

Even when you decide to listen to someone, you may find it difficult to concentrate on the speaker's message. There are several barriers or "ear plugs" that can interfere with listening. These barriers can be placed in two groups, **external** and **internal**.
 * Barriers to Effective Listening**

**External Barriers** - these are things outside the listener's immediate control.
Some examples of external barriers that can affect your ability to listen are:
 * 1) **Physical distractions** - for example, uncomfortable surroundings, competing noises, hunger or fatigue;
 * 2) **Negative attributes of the speaker** - for example, appearance, voice, pronunciation, annoying mannerisms;
 * 3) **Difficulty with the material or vocabulary** - for example, highly technical vocabulary, unfamiliar words or terms.

**Internal Barriers** - these are things that can be controlled more readily by the listener.
Some examples of internal barriers that can affect your ability to listen are:
 * 1) **Posture** - for example, slouching, fidgeting, that would distract you from the speaker;
 * 2) **Bias** - for example, personal bias may lead you to dismiss the opinions of the speaker or you may even become upset listening to a speaker who expresses a viewpoint contrary to your own;
 * 3) **Wandering attention** - for example, day dreaming, not paying attention, being easily distracted by a noise, or you may be upset by something that is not connected to the speaker;
 * 4) **Lack of interest** - for example, if you are not interested in the topic or subject matter you are less likely to listen to the speaker;
 * 5) **Planning a response**- for example, planning a response before the speaker is finished will prevent you from listening carefully;
 * 6) **Concentrating only on details** - for example, concentrating on minute details can cause you to miss the more important points the speaker might be making;
 * 7) **Self-conscious** - for example, concentrating on your appearance or the impression you are making will interfere with your listening.

**Improving your Listening**
Here are some steps you can take to become a better listener:
 * 1) Motivate yourself to become a better listener. Recognize that you might be having some difficulties and examine where you need improvement;
 * 2) Prepare yourself physically and mentally to listen;
 * 3) Empathize with the speaker; listen openly first before making judgements;
 * 4) Be objective in your evaluation of the speaker's message;
 * 5) Takes notes when appropriate.

**Assignment 2**
Listening and note taking are important skills for a police officer to have. Using the suggested graphic organizer below, compare your career choice to that of a police officer in terms of examples where these skills are required. You may have to brainstorm situations or conduct some research. Try to come up with at least eight to ten examples for both the police officer and your personal career choice. When you are finished post it to the Portfolio section of your blog.
 * Complete the following assignment and post to the Portfolio Section of your blog.**
 * ~ Careers ||~ Examples of situations where listening skills are required ||~ Examples of situations where note-taking skills are required ||
 * Police Officer ||  ||   ||
 * Your career choice ||  ||   ||

**Activity 3**
In this activity you will:
 * 1) Examine the importance of listening to the speaker's voice in communication.
 * 2) Focus on listening for note taking.
 * 3) Complete a practice exercise demonstrating your listening skills for note taking for the purpose of writing a summary.
 * 4) Complete a final exercise to demonstrate listening skills for note taking for the purpose of writing a summary.
 * 5) Write a summary based on note taking.

**__Voice Control__**

 * || Voice control describes how you use your voice when you speak regardless of the meaning of the words you are speaking. Listening to a speaker's voice can provide invaluable clues to the message of the speaker. Voice control includes such elements as:
 * Pitch** - This refers to the amount of control we exercise when using our vocal cords. Voice control is dependent largely upon emotional control. For example, when we use our voices intelligently we do not allow ourselves to scream when angry or raise our voices too high a pitch when we are excited. ||
 * Intonation** - A particular vocal quality that indicates some emotion or feeling. For example, rising intonation means the pitch of the voice increases over time. On the other hand, falling intonation means that the pitch decreases with time. A dipping intonation falls and then rises, whereas a peaking intonation rises and then falls. An example is when we ask a question - often our intonation rises in pitch at the end of the sentence.


 * Voice quality** - The length of your vocal cords and the degree of tension in the muscles of the neck have a noticeable influence on the quality of your voice. For example, depending on the control of your neck muscles, you may sound loud, slow, nasalized, harsh, whispery, creaky, high pitched or falsetto.


 * Pace** - The pace at which you speak has a direct effect on your listener. For example, it is easier to understand someone who speaks slowly as opposed to someone who speaks quickly. However, sometimes it is difficult to find the ideal pace for everyday verbal communication.


 * Clarity** - The more clearly you speak, the more likely it is that your verbal message will be received and understood. Clarity is one of the areas of voice control where you can easily identify problem areas in your own speech and make an effort to improve.


 * Volume** - The volume at which you speak should be a conscious decision on your part based on the communication situation. For example, if the volume of your speech is such that your voice cannot be heard, the obviously you are not communicating successfully

**Listening for Notetaking**
Here are some tips when you're listening for note taking:
 * Use forms or graphic organizers when available.
 * Write notes in your own words, using point form.
 * Write neatly and identify notes with date, topic, and speaker.
 * Write down the main ideas, supporting ideas, and facts.
 * Do not try to write everything. Be selective.
 * Make additional notes in the margin - such as questions you might wish to ask for clarification.
 * Listen for clues that warn you an important point is about to be made - such as the speaker's pitch, intonation, volume, voice quality, pace.
 * Review your notes and, if necessary, summarize them in order to condense them and put them in logical order.
 * Review your notes for new vocabulary.
 * Look up new words in the dictionary.

The ability to take good notes helps you to do the following:
 * Extend your memory
 * Organize your thoughts
 * Gather information
 * Learn new material
 * Review old material
 * Summarize information

**Nonverbal Communication:**
Listen to the news on television, for example, Canadian broadcast journalist, Peter Mansbridge of the CBC, or watch a video of a famous politician or motivational speaker. Watch for nonverbal clues and how these relate to the speech. A good place to look for such footage is in the archives of many news agencies such as the CBC or ABC News. Many new media organizations have video footage available online.
 * =====Tips for Nonverbal Communication=====
 * 1) Eye contact - for example, look at the speaker's gaze.
 * Is the speaker looking at you?
 * Is the speaker looking up, down, to the right, to the left?
 * Are the speaker's eyes "rolling"?
 * Is there a "twinkle" in the speaker's eyes?
 * 1) Facial expressions - for example, the feeling communicated through the speaker's facial expression.
 * Is the speaker happy?
 * Is the speaker frowning?
 * Is the speaker serious?
 * Is the speaker expressionless?
 * 1) Gestures - for example, the movement of the hands or the head.
 * Is the speaker nodding his or her head?
 * Is the speaker moving her or his hands in both directions?
 * Is the speaker pointing with her or his fingers?
 * Is the speaker shaking his or her head from side to side?
 * 1) Posture - for example, the way the speaker walks, sits or stands.
 * Is the speaker standing straight?
 * Is the speaker slouching?
 * Is the speaker talking with his back turned to the audience?
 * Is the speaker looking at the floor or ceiling? ||  ||

**Activity 4**
In this activity you will:
 * 1) Demonstrate your listening skills for note taking.
 * 2) Write a summary based on your note taking.


 * In this activity you will demonstrate what you have learned about effective listening skills and how to apply these skills to note taking. In the assignment you will have the opportunity to listen to a verbal presentation by a secondary school teacher on the requirements and details of their job. By listening effectively for key pieces of information, you will be able to write a more useful summary. ||  ||

**Assignment 3** **- Culminating**
Complete the following assignment and post to the Learning Journal Section of your blog. Using the following self-assessment template, reflect on your listening skills.

J**ournal**

 * Step 1**
 * || **Directions:** Place a check mark in the appropriate column: ||||||||~ LEARNING HOW TO LISTEN: ||
 * ~ Yes ||~ Sometimes ||~ Not Yet ||~  ||
 * ||  ||   || Do I pay attention? ||
 * ||  ||   || Do noises in the room interrupt my listening carefully? ||
 * ||  ||   || Do I judge a speaker's words without letting my own ideas get in the way? ||
 * ||  ||   || Do I find a speaker's personal habits distracting (e.g. clearing the throat constantly?)? ||
 * ~ LISTENING FOR INFORMATION: ||
 * ~ Yes ||~ Sometimes ||~ Not Yet ||~  ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I mentally organize what I hear so that I can remember it? ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I think up questions to ask the speaker about ideas that I don't understand? ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I get the meaning of unknown words from the rest of what the speaker says? ||
 * ~ LISTENING CRITICALLY: ||
 * ~ Yes ||~ Sometimes ||~ Not Yet ||~  ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I separate facts from explanations or opinions? ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I tell the difference between important and unimportant details? ||
 * ||  ||   || Can I pick out unsupported points that a speaker makes? ||
 * ||  ||   || Am I able to accept points of view that differ from my own? ||
 * ~ LISTENING CREATIVELY: ||
 * ~ Yes ||~ Sometimes ||~ Not Yet ||~  ||
 * ||  ||   || Am I able to pick out specific words or phrases that impress me as I listen? ||
 * ||  ||   || Do I become involved in the text so that is seems as though the action is truly taking place? ||
 * ||  ||   || Am I able to put what I hear into my own words so that I can share it with others? ||
 * Step 2: Listening: Reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement. Explain why you were successful in using specific listening strategies and what strategies that will be the focus for improvement and why.**

Use prompts such as: "I can always tell when the section is important as I can hear the speaker raise his voice..." "I found the graphic organizer helpful. However, I am not a fast writer and I fuss a lot over neatness of my writing. In the future, I know I need to stop being a perfectionist and try to record as much a possible..."


 * Step 3: Writing Summaries: Reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement. Explain why you were successful in using specific writing strategies for note taking for the purpose of writing summaries writing and what strategies that will be the focus for improvement and why.**