Listening Styles
Most people, constantly, take listening for granted as something that simply happens. However, only when one starts to think about listening, then do they realize that it is an important skill that needs to be nurtured and developed. Often effective listening is the basic foundation of a healthy relationship among people in our homes, workplaces, educational sectors and even social places. Just as there are distinct types of listening, there are also distinct styles of listening. By definition ‘a listening style’ refers to a set of attitudes and perceptions about listening. These styles are interchangeable depending on the situation. More often than not as good communicators individual will constantly, adjust and switch their listening depending on the context of the situation. One might have a dominant style that appears on most occasions; however, they can orientate to the situation. Listening styles can be identified into four; people, action, content and time.
People-oriented style is a style that can tune in to the speaker’s emotions, feeling and moods. These people relate more to the relationship when listening to other people to communicate with them. The most important aspect of this style is that the listeners try to find a common interest with the speaker. These people will listen to the message so that they can gauge how the speaker feels or thinks about what they are sharing. For instance, an individual listening to an artist will want to know why if the artist finds himself successful, how it feels to be famous, and what backgrounds they have. These listeners are likely more attentive to the speaker rather than the message. This type of listening is exponentially valuable for interpersonal communication involving emotion where the speaker can make themselves vulnerable without the fear of being judged.
The action-oriented style also known as task-oriented style is a style where the listener seeks a clear, organized and error-free message about what needs to be done and may exhibit less patience in finding out why the task needs to be done. These listeners will most probably notice any errors or inconsistencies in a conversation. Mostly they are primarily interested in finding out that the speaker wants and sometimes it may be difficult for the individual to listen through the evidence, illustrations and descriptions supporting the speaker’s case. This style of listening is most effective when the task needs to be completed in time under a certain budget and other constraints.
Content-oriented style of listening involves listeners who are interested in the message itself, whether it makes sense if it is accurate, and what it means. These listeners enjoy complex and challenging information and access all the information presented to them before concluding. For instance, an example of a content-oriented listener is an individual who enjoys watching debates so that he can get his own view on the ideas. The ability of these listeners to be thorough, critical and objective is critical in areas such as politics and law
Time oriented –the listener is time conscious and appreciates if a story or communication is direct to the point. This type of listeners are not concerned with details and are less patient with slow presentations and lengthy deliveries. They are receptive only for a short period, but May even become hostile if the speakers much time of attention from them. These signs of hostility are shown by eye-rolling, constant checking of the phone, frequent movement and other unpleasant behaviours. This type of listeners come in handy in case of timelines.
I would categorize myself based on any listening style. However, I do think that people-oriented listening tends to outgrow the other most of the time. I am quite empathetic and patient enough to listen and connect with people’s emotions, what they are going through and relate to their experiences. This style has helped me portray great listening skills and help me have a better understanding of the people I do relate to. Additionally, I have significant capabilities for helping out other people when they are faced with issues. The other benefits that come with this type of listening are that I manage to build trust with other people, strengthen my relationships with others and be an inspiration.
However, some of the times I have ended up in problem because I become overly attached to people which clouded my judgement. Additionally, I have ended up in unwise relations because I did not see other people faults and limitations. In future, I do aspire to have an element of content-oriented listening style whereby I can access people more on the truth and expertize rather than feelings. I think that working with facts and evidence and also being alert with all the information provided to me is something I look forward to working on.
Different people exhibit different listening styles. Each of the listening styles has its strengths and drawbacks. However, even though most of the people exhibit one prominent style under different circumstances, an individual can practice a different listening style.