Have you ever known someone who did these things to you? It's surprising how many ways there are to not listen. But if you think about it, most people talk at each other. Little genuine listening happens
. As a teacher, the primary task you have while listening is to understand the students' world from their point of view. Receive, understand, and appreciate the communication, and then acknowledge the students with thoughtful feedback. The next section explores some ways of doing that.
Types of Listening Styles
All of us engage various types of filters through which we process students’ messages. Here are six listening styles:
1. Leisure listeners have an acute ear for what pleases them. They listen for nonverbal messages, enjoy stories, are present in body but not always in mind, are seldom intense, and listen as if it's a ride at an amusement park.
2. Inclusive listeners have a wide band of listening interests, rely heavily the key idea, are widely accepting-at times even gullible-and notice nonverbal messages well. These are some of your best listeners.
3. Stylistic listeners evaluate the message based on the medium, with regard to the physical presentation of it. Nonverbal communication also plays into this style of listening.
4. Technical listeners listen to those who have a track record or who are "qualified" to use up precious listening time. They are interested mostly in content and how and why something works. They have a narrow band of listening interests and are often detached and unemotional listeners.
5. Empathetic listeners listen for the emotional state of the speaker; detect voice fluctuations, tempo, tonality, and so on; are sensitive to physical touch; and often become part of the drama of the conversation. They are most concerned about the speaker's feelings.
6. Nonconforming listeners are most attentive to information that directly affects them, have a narrow band of listening interests, and are excellent at finding the story behind the story.