According to the International Listening Association, listening is defined as, “the process of receiving, constructing meaning from and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages” (ILA, 1996). On the surface, listening may appear to be an easy and passive task, where all the listener needs is a pair of working ears; however, the process of actually listening “effectively” is much more complex and requires a significant amount of energy and effort. Effective (or sometimes referred to as “active”) listening requires the individual to be fully engaged in the interaction and to provide the speaker with feedback (verbal or nonverbal). This active portion of listening shows the speaker that the listener is interested in the subject matter and that he or she understands the information. In his book on effective listening, Kline (1996) states that out of every 10 minutes that we are awake, we spend 7 minutes in some form of communication (pp. 1-2). Furthermore, he points out that out of those 7minutes, 45 percent of that time is spent listening. In light of this information, it would seem very important to practice effective listening so as not to waste precious time.
Unfortunately, people often fall short on effective listening because they are not aware of the various elements that can negatively impact this very important skill. Listening barriers are factors that can significantly affect someone’s ability to be an effective listener. Researchers in the field have defined a number of barriers, but this paper will focus on those outlined by The ACA Open Guide to Public Speaking: noise/distraction, information overload, speaker perception, and self-perceptions and personal biases. There are coping strategies that can be used to help in coping with specific barriers (2008). With that said, the purpose of this paper will be to provide the reader with a personal account of a situation in which this writer felt as though his ability to listen effectively was compromised. This writer will also provide information regarding barriers that affected his ability to listen effectively. Finally, the writer will provide examples of strategies that would have helped in coping with the situation, as well as how each strategy may have worked to eliminate each particular barrier.
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"Listening Barriers in Communication: Effects and Coping Strategies".
When I was in high school, I took a class that I thought would be fun, interesting and easy, but it turned out to be nothing of the sort. Instead, I dreaded going to a class that I found to be boring and extremely difficult. Looking back, I think that much of my disdain for the class was related to my ineffective listening skills. I believe that the main barriers involved were noise/distraction and information overload.
The class that I took was introduction to psychology with Mr. Smith. I remember sitting in the class and hearing the bell ring, but not being able to remember a single word of what the teacher had said. The main distraction that affected my listening skills was intrapersonal noise. For one, I had recently been fighting a lot with my parents regarding the fact that I was not spending enough time with the family. They felt as though my friends, video games, and the computer had taken precedence over family. At time, the content of the class was very triggering for me. For example, I remember that during one of the lectures the teacher spoke about teenagers and how there is often conflict between adolescents and their parents. This subject matter immediately got me to thinking about my parents and how the constant fighting was really beginning to affect me. Situation noise was also a distracting factor because the teacher’s voice was very low and monotone, which lead my mind to wander off into “daydream land.”
Another listening barrier that I encountered during this class was information overload. For one, I felt as though the teacher did not make the class “exciting” enough in that he predominantly taught the class via verbal lecture and overhead projector slides. This made me very bored and I would often lose interest after the first ten minutes of the lecture. Additionally, the information was at times difficult and foreign to me and when I realized that I did not understand the material, I began to stop paying attention. Finally, I remember spending a lot of time drawing in my notebook and texting on my phone. According to the ACA website (2008), multitasking can lead to impairment in ones’ ability to receive, process, and evaluate incoming information.
There are several strategies that may have helped me to cope with the listening barriers I experienced in my psychology class. The ACA website outlines a number of coping strategies that target these specific barriers. For my issues with intrapersonal noise I could have used self-monitoring to become more self-aware. Had I been more aware of my personal reaction to the subject matter, I may have been able to remind myself of that instead of subconsciously tuning out the teacher in order to cope with my feelings. For my issues with situation noise, I could have utilized such strategies as note taking or mind mapping in order break up the monotony of the lectures. Had I done that, I may have been less bored and more engaged in the lecture. I could have also asked to sit close to the front of the class so that I could hear the teacher better. For my problems with information overload, I could have utilized “wanting to listen” and “accepting responsibility for understanding” (Kline, 1996). Had I made a better effort to listen, despite the fact that I do not like verbal lectures, I could have prevented myself from getting so distracted and frustrated with the class. Also, I could have taken more responsibility for my own learning by reading the material head of time, asking teacher for extra help, asking questions in class, and taking notes (especially on terms that I did not understand) instead of drawing or playing on my phone.
- Adams, T., Owen, J., Smith, L., Krus, Christine, & Picirillo, D. (2008). Listening. The ACA
Open Knowledge Guide to Public Speaking. - ILA. (2006). Definition of listening. International Listening Association.
- Kline, J. A. (1996). Listening Effectively. Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala: Air University Press.
