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Unit 4: Listening Skills

5. Intelligence: Intelligence can be a determining factor in listening (oral) comprehension, but Notes

it is not the only element that affects oral proficiency. Intelligence alone does not produce
listening skills. Other aspects are also important.
6. Scholastic excellence: Moderately positive correlations exist between listening ability and
cumulative grade average. Such findings indicate that those who listen well get higher

grades or better marks. This is quite natural also. Furthermore, because listening and
reading have similar correlations with grade point average, it is reasonable to conclude
that scholastic excellence depends equally upon oral and reading skills. Listening enhances
scholarship and this in turn, gives better grade.
7. Motivation: A listener’s comprehension improves if there is interest in the topic before
the speech, if interest is created during the speech, or if the listener is to be tested after
the speech. Interest in the speech may be developed at any point of time by motivation.
Comprehension is also determined by the intensity of the listener’s emotional reaction to

what is being said. Finally, a listener’s level of understanding is influenced by various
methods of creating an anticipatory mindset. If the speaker introduces his points by stating
that it is going to be critical, the listeners are more apt to remember his criticism. The
speaker has created, in the minds of his audience, a mindset to anticipate criticism. This
enhances his ability to listen. Hence, motivation in terms of mindset, interest and attitudes
may improve listening profi ciency.
8. Hearing ability: Many think that those who suffer some hearing loss are not good listeners.
Actually, just the opposite is true. Researchers have substantiated that those with moderate
hearing loss usually are better listeners than those who have normal hearing. They realize
that this ability, whatsoever they are having, must be exploited fully.
9. Usage: Writing skills and, to a lesser extent, speaking skills, improve with use, but this is
not necessarily with listening. Instructions and practice in effective listening are needed for
listening improvement. Listening is a skill that cannot be learnt easily. All of us can become
better listeners and better teachers of listening skills by constant practice and recognizing
the importance of listening.
10. Organizational and structural ability: Listening comprehension is directly related to the
ability to organize and structure a message. Unorganized or unstructured matter takes more
time in comprehension. The better organized the message is, the higher the comprehension
will be. This is true of speakers as well as listeners.
11. Distractions in environment: Environmental factors also infl uence comprehension. Good
listeners will learn to allow for or adjust to distracting elements, such as poor lighting
or extraneous noises, poor ventilation, distance from the speaker, or other environmental
shortcomings that the listener cannot control. Good listeners have the ability to overcome
a distracting environment.

4.4 Importance of Listening

The ability to listen well is quite as important as the ability to speak well. In communication,
however good a transmitter is, it becomes effective only in partnership with a good receiver.
It is obvious that unless someone listens, any effort to communicate will be lost. After all,
communication involves the negotiation of mutual meanings, which requires two parties.
Listening is a major ingredient of the communication process, and the lack of this skill is primarily
responsible for many of the problems we experience with people. Effective human relations are
based heavily on good listening skills. Poor listeners are usually also poor negotiators and are
also ineffective in crisis situations.

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