Demonstrating a listening climate

In addition to actually listening carefully, managers must also seem to be listening and,

establish a climate that demonstrates receptivity. Without this climate, the

communication environment in an office can become like that in many homes:

Parent: Why don’t you ever tell us what you are doing?

.child: I do, but you don’t listen. You’re always so

busy.

Parent: We’re never too busy to listen to you, but just

don’t seem to want to tell us anything.

Are the parents too busy to listen, or do they just act too busy? The same is true with

many managers. Is it possible that they act too busy to listen? A manager may

unintentionally establish a non-listening climate by subtle behaviour that says to the

subordinate, “Why talk if nobody is listening?”

While a manager is responsible for a tremendous amount of infonnation and spends as

much as 50 per cent of her working day listening, she cannot listen if nobody is talking.

Managers need to demonstrate a listening climate to motivate people to “open up.”

Consequently, man(igers should strive to eliminate listening habits that discoUrage

communication. A listener demonstrating these behaviours is not exhibiting a positive

communication climate; consequently, the speaker may not feel he is being listened to.

This list can serve as a personal checklist for managers to see if they demonstrate any

of the irritating behaviours.

The level of intensity at the side reflects the relevance, the importance, or the

The level of intensity at the side reflects the relevance, the importance, or the

significance of the information involved. Listening has basically three levels of intensity.

Casual or marginal listening is used when the specific or technical information being

discussed is not critical. Because no goal for specific information is establised, a

manager need not be as alert as in other situations. Casual listening occurs in social

conversations or when listening to the radio.

The next level of intensity, factual listening, is necessary when specific information needs

to be obtained. Probably the most common type of listening in business meetings and

conferences, factual listening is the level that most people probably thinks of when they

consider the topic of listening. At this level, the listener should ask questions and receive

feedback to ensure effective communication.

A manager uses. the empathetic level of listening when he wants to understand another

person from that person’s Qwn internal frame of reference rather than from

Paralanguage can add richness, but also confusion when one listens to a message. A

short sentence such as “I’ll do it” may mean any on the following:

I’ 11 be really happy to do it.

I’ll do it, but it’s the last time.

You always make me do what you want.

All right you win.

Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.

You’re so dumb I’d better take care of it myself.

Which “meaning” is implied can usually be determined by the tone or inflection of the

voice or by the stress placed on each separate word.

Robert J. McCloskey provided an interesting example of the relationship of

paralanguage and listening. A fonner member of the State Department, he was known to

have three distinct ways of saying, “I would not speculate. “Newsweek reported that

“spoken without accent, it means the Department doesn’t know for sure; emphasis on

the ‘I’ means I wouldn’t, but you may - and with some assurance, accent on ‘speculate’

indicates that the questioner’s premise is probably wrong.”

Why would a manager lack the willingness to listen? Several reasons explain this

unfortunate condition. First, most people would rather talk than listen, and even when

they ask.a question, they often break into the first sentence of the response with another

question or an argument. Second, the listener may quickly stereotype the speaker as

one who talks a lot but has little to say; consequently, the listener believes that the person

has little

. of value to say. Third, a listener may lack willingness because he may not want to

receive negative information. For the speaker who bears “bad tidings,”what incentive is

there to listen? Defensive behaviour relates closely to this. Some managers consider

the slightest attack on one of their opinions as an attack on them personally;

consequently, they will rise, sometimes almost obsessively, to the defense. This defense

often involves verbal attacks that preclude the possibility for listening.

This is only a summary of the many barriers to listening. Nevertheless, research

indicates that we can improve listening skills. When managers strategically analyze the

critical components of communication and apply the techniques suggested in the

following section, their listening skills and effectiveness as managers will improve.

General techniques for improved listening skills

Let us first look at the different types of listening to be

able to adapt techniques to the appropriate situation and three levels of listening

intensity for both types.

For the purposes of this discussion, active listening occurs in situations in which a

manager has little or no opportunity to interact verbally with the speaker. People in a

large audience use active listening as do those listening to a recorded message or

reviewing an audio-visual replay. People use interactive listening when they have the

opportunity to interact verbally with the speaker by asking questions or summarizing.

Interactive listening occurs with a manager involved in a conversation with one other

individual or in a meeting with many people. .

The “debate” represents a third type of barrier.

listener may suddenly find herself disagreeing with the speaker and begin to plan her

rebuttal. As she plans the rebuttal, she blocks out the listener and misses his message.

For instance, a manager listening to complaints from another department might prepare

a rebuttal as the other. person explains the incident. As a result, the manager creates a

defensive climate and misses the most important information.

Time, an important factor in every manager’s day, can also be a barrier to listening for

busy managers. “I just don’t have time to listen to this” is a common reaction for

managers at one time or another. The saying, “time passes quickly when you’re having

fun,” is really true; being involved in an interesting conversation can use more time than a

person realizes. However, time is relative and seems to drag on and on when people

have to listen to something in which they have no interest. When listening appears to

take too much time, managers tend to stop listening.

Hasty conclusion is one way some terminate listening. This time pressure may lead to

the tendency to judge, evaluate, approve, or disapproye a person’s statement too hastily.

To achieve real communication, resist me temptation to fOlm hasty cGmclusions.

Perhaps the greatest psychological barrier is lack. of willingness. A manager may not

want to listen. Before listening is even required, he may have lost any desire to listen. A

lack of willingness to listen is an attitude that

supersedes all other barriers-both physical and psychological.

Since we have already discussed motivation as a barrier to listening, we must

differentiate willingness from

motivation. These concepts are closely related, but for the purposes of this discussion,

assume that a lack of willingness develops before listening even begins. This is why it

supersedes all other barriers’. If a person consciously or unconsciously decides not to

listen, listening skills are obviousiy of no advantage.

By contrast, listening results from a concentrated effort; it requires both physical and

By contrast, listening results from a concentrated effort; it requires both physical and

mental effort. .

Listening requires a special effort because physical and psychological factors work

against the process. In this chapter .we review those physical and psychological barriers

to listening and then analyze techniques to reduce these barriers.

Psychological barriers to listening .

A major psychological barrier to listening is lack of motivation. Many find. maintaining

the continuous motivation required for listening a challenge. The need for motivation

stands out when one recalls the speed of the thought process compared with that of

speech. During the 75 per cent of time when the mind is not being stimulated with words,

motivation for listening is a challenge. Managers who should be listening may be

day-dreaming, making private plans, or even focusing on an emotional problem. During

that 75 per cent void many things can take place that overpower the 25 per cent

listening.

Researchers have long known that motivation or incentive is a prevalent problem in the

listening process. Research c.ompleted almost 30 years ago demonstrated that people

score better on listening achievement tests when they know in advance that they are

going to be tested than when they think they are just supposed to listen. More recent

research has also indicated that scores on listening tests rise as the incentive to listen

increases. Since listening is hard work, we can expect greater effort when the goal is

known, and listeners can observe a positive outcome of the effort. This is why the

listening goal discussed later is so important.

miss important information. Second, listening makes a person more dependable:

people who listen well follow directions better, make fewer errors, say foolish things less

often, and generally become the kind of person others will ask for advice or direction.

Third, good listeners are more respected and liked by those they work with. Managers

who listen compliment those they listen to, in effect telling them they are worthy people.

This trait can lead to hmmonious labour relations since employees generally trust and

suppOrt managers who “listen them out.”

Fourth, better listening enables a manager to be better informed overall and more

sophisticated. Sophistication comes not from talking but, rather, by learning about the

world around one. Fifth, good listening spares a person many embarrassments. In many

situations, people may miss a name because of poor listening, or they may need to have

critical information repeated because of “daydreaming”. Worse yet, a direct question

may be unanswered because of inapt listening. Such embarrassing situations can

quickly label a manager as unconcerned or even apathetic.

Ultimately, the major reason for developing effective listening is to promote

understanding between people. People who need to be heard not only for their own

emotional well-being but to be understood create gaps by not listening. Mutual

understanding is required in any work group.

Listening -is not just hearing, and the effective manager differentiates between” the

two. Hearing is mechanical, an automatic sort of thing often difficult to

avoid. A horn blaring, heavy construction equipment”

groaning. children shouting in a playground-all these sounds, plus others, may be heard

even though they are not listened to actively. Hearing usually requires little special

physical or mental effort.

Identifying the communicator

Finally, it is worth re-emphasizing that the communication act is a two-way process. Not

only does a speaker attempt to identify his audience, but the audience tries to identify

the speaker through his communication. As the Elizabethan poet and dramatist Ben

Jonson wrote;

‘language must shews a man; Speak that I may see thee.’ Little reseaI’ch has been

unde11aken in industry into this factor although considerable ‘mchair psychology’ may

b.e called into play, when a lunch-time chat is commenced

with ‘I wonder what the boss really meant when he

said :’

After taking a short look in the next two chapters at the method used to measure the

factors affecting managerial communication and the backgrounds of managers involved

in the study, we can take the basic ideas of this chapter into the every-day life of the

manager. The findings of a study can only be as good as the methods used and might.

only succeed with management team of similar background.

Since managers spend as much as 50 per cent of their working day listening, they

should be accomplished in this skill. Yet, too often we hear such comments as “Bob just

doesn’t” or “Barbara is hard to work with because she never takes the time to listen” or

somebody wasn’t listening.” In fact, of the four primary communication skills needed for

effective management-reading, writing, speaking, and listening-listening is used the

most frequently and yet receives the least attention from educators.

A number of essential managerial skills involve listening. First, much of the data

necessary for decision making comes through listening to employees, yet poor listeners