Listening

7 Pages Posted: 21 Oct 2008

See all articles by Martin N. Davidson

Martin N. Davidson

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

This note describes the range of skills that can be used to listen skillfully. The skill set is conceptualized as a continuum to help students learn when and where to utilize the different skills. The note is designed for use in an interpersonal-behavior elective session on listening or in any course in which a primer on listening would be useful.

Excerpt

UVA-OB-0736

LISTENING

One of the most important skills for attaining interpersonal competence is listening. Most people think of effective listening as “active listening” in which the listener uses a series of proactive behavioral techniques to encourage another to speak. While active listening is an important technique, it is but a portion of the full listening skill set. Drawing on the work of Carl Rogers, I propose a more comprehensive model of listening that, if mastered and incorporated into one's interpersonal toolkit, leads to greater interpersonal competence and more rewarding relationships, both professional and personal.

Goals of Effective Listening

The specific goals of listening are best broken into short-term and long-term goals. The short-term goal, listening to understand, conveys a focus on the interpersonal episode in which the listening actually occurs. In this context the goal of listening is make sense of what the other person is trying to communicate. A secondary objective is to elicit the maximum amount of relevant information during that episode. In contrast, listening to build relationship focuses on longer-term objectives of a given interaction. Here, the goals are to encourage the exchange of information in the future, to motivate people to work effectively with us, and to lay a foundation for trust and respect in future engagements. Typically, people think of listening primarily in terms of its short-term goals. However, the greatest benefits of effective listening accrue over time.

The Listening Continuum

. . .

Keywords: interpersonal behavior, interpersonal relations, leadership, management skills, organizational behavior

Suggested Citation

Davidson, Martin N., Listening. Darden Case No. UVA-OB-0736, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1281806 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1281806

Martin N. Davidson (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States
434-924-4483 (Phone)
434-243-5020 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty/Davidson.htm

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
141
Abstract Views
998
Rank
158,867
PlumX Metrics