PMI-NEW
presents..
Building a
Listening
Organization
Are you Listening?
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Listening is not an automatic response to an
individual who is sending a verbal message.
The ability to receive the message and understand
all that the speaker intends to communicate takes
active participation on the part of the listener.
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Because it is the method by which we receive the
majority of our information, it is vital that this mode
be as efficient as possible.
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Like any skill, it can be improved through better
technique and consistent practice.
8 Reasons to Listen!
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L = Legendary Status!
I = Information
“Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.” W.
Edwards Deming
S = Satisfaction
“You can make more friends in two months by
becoming really interested in other people than
you can in two years by trying to get other people
interested in you.” Dale Carnegie
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T = Team building:
You can’t make a centipede by gluing a
bunch of ants together.
E = Empowerment:
“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a
creative force. When we are listened to, it
creates us, makes us unfold and expand.”
Brenda Ueland
N = Negotiation
“If you have an apple and I have an apple
and we exchange these apples then you and I
will still each have one apple. But if you have
an idea and I have an idea and we exchange
these ideas, then each of us will have two
ideas.” George Bernard Shaw
Are Your Listening?
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U = Understanding:
“The single biggest problem in
communication is the illusion that it has
taken place.” George Bernard Shaw
P = Problem Solving:
“A consultant is someone who looks at
your watch and tells you what time it is.”
Are You
Listening?
Reason Why
Humans are Poor
Listeners
Reasons Humans are Poor Listeners
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Humans are never really taught how to
listen.
“Most people don’t listen to
understand…they listen to reply.”
Steven Covey
Humans have very short attention spans.
Humans are cognitive.
Humans are very easily distracted.
Reasons Humans are Poor Listeners
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Humans can listen at twice the rate of
human speech.
Humans listen with different frames of
reference.
Most people are terrible speakers.
Cognitive Dissonance and Selective
Perception are common human
characteristics.
Are You
Listening?
Improve Your
Listening Skills
IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS:
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Hold your tongue.
Remove external distractions.
Evaluate your listening
environment.
Remove internal distractions:
Clear your mind.
Show the speaker you are
interested: Give the speaker your
undivided attention
IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING SKILLS:
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Be patient.
Timing is critical.
Recognize fatigue and diminishing
returns.
Overcome bias and barriers.
Use Parroting and Paraphrasing.
“One cannot hit a target one
cannot see.” ~Zen~
I want to be a
better listener
and this is
what I plan to
do…