Did you know that on average 45-75% of a person’s active hours are spent listening instead of talking? Listening is an activity that involves receiving, interpreting and responding to the message spoken by the speaker.
Effective listening is an important part of effective communication, which determines a person’s ability to understand a message. Listening is divided into 2 namely
active listening and passive listening.
In active listening, the listener pays close attention to the speaker’s words and responds accordingly. On the other hand,
passive listeningthe listener only hears the speaker’s statement but does not respond to it.
An active listener is one who pays full attention to the physical details of the speaker, such as appearance, body language, expressions, etc., which play an important role in translating the meaning of the spoken material. On the other hand, the passive listener ignores the physical aspect of the speaker, because he or she is not very interested in what is being said.
Definition of Active Listening
Active listening as the name suggests is a process in which the listener listens carefully to what the speaker is saying, processes the message, and then responds to the message to direct the conversation further.
Active Listening involves paying close attention to the speaker, showing interest in what he is saying through expressions, body language and asking questions at appropriate time intervals to make a good conversation.
He consciously strives to:
- Concentrate on what is being said
- Decode the message
- Participate in the conversation
- Helping speakers convey messages with meaning.
Verbal and non-verbal cues play an important role in active listening where verbal cues involve repeating lines or summarizing spoken material, giving suggestions or disagreeing with thoughts and asking appropriate questions, whereas non-verbal cues include nodding, eye contact. , etc.
Example:
Active listening can be found in press conferences, debates, etc.
Who is an Active Listener?
Active listeners are individuals who are actively involved in the communication process not only by listening attentively to the message but also by carefully paying attention to the way the message is conveyed. In other words, the listener actively pays attention to the content and manner, i.e. tone, tone, body language, facial expressions, etc., of the speaker, when the message is conveyed.
Active Listeners often seek clarification, nod their heads at appropriate time intervals, ask leading questions and also summarize content to show that they are following the speaker.
Definition of Passive Listening
Passive Listening means listening to the speaker during communication but unconsciously. He sat quietly without responding to the speaker. This is silent and patient listening, in which the listener does not interrupt or participate in the conversation.
This means that the listener is physically present, but may not pay attention to what the speaker is saying because the message is not absorbed by the listener and he or she may not be able to remember it in the future.
Causes of passive hearing are:
- Fatigue
- Multitasking
- Not interested
- bad health
Simply put, in passive listening, the listener only hears the words but not the message. This often leads to misunderstandings between the speaker and the listener, because the speaker will think that the listener has understood the message accurately.
Example:
Passive listening is seen during seminars attended by students
Who is Passive Listener?
Passive Listeners are people who listen to the message partially. In addition, there is no sensitivity to nuances, hidden meanings, nonverbal cues involved in communication.
Basically, what passive listeners do is let the other person speak without interruption or clarification. Hence, communication with passive listeners becomes ineffective and incomplete.
Difference between Active Listening and Passive Listening
The points mentioned below address the difference between active listening and passive listening:
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Active listening is when the listener in communication absorbs everything the speaker is saying, and tries to verify the facts by asking questions. On the other hand, passive listening is when the listener is physically present during the presentation but absent mentally, where everything that is said by the speaker is heard by the listener but not absorbed.
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Active listening is an interactive process, passive listening is a mechanical process.
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In active listening, the listener encourages the speaker to go further by showing interest in the conversation. On the other hand, passive listeners often discourage the speaker by not focusing on the listening process and displaying boredom and disinterest on their faces.
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Active listening is supported by nodding, eye contact, asking questions, if necessary, etc. On the other hand, passive listening is denoted by an awkward posture or looking here and there, etc.
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Passive Listening is one-way communication, as the listener or receiver does not provide feedback to the speaker. On the other hand, active listening is a two-way communication that includes appropriate responses that show that the listener is not only hearing but also understanding what the speaker is saying.
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Active listeners show a keen eye for information by asking more questions, offering suggestions, agreeing or disagreeing with the speaker’s thoughts, whereas passive listeners always want the speaker to finish the topic as quickly as possible, so he or she doesn’t lead the topic further by asking questions or offering suggestions.
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In active listening, the listener concentrates, understands, responds to and remembers the statements made by the speaker. On the other hand, in passive listening, the listener is usually engrossed in his own thoughts and does not pay attention to the speaker but only pretends to be listening.
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Non-verbal cues shown by an active listener are – changes in facial expression, rolling eyes, showing interest by asking or smiling, etc. In contrast, passive listeners generally show non-verbal cues such as yawning, looking here and there, showing boredom, silence, etc.
Example
Below are some common examples of active listening and passive listening:
| ACTIVE LISTENING | PASSIVE LISTENING |
|---|---|
| Discussion group | Watching TV while eating. |
| Students ask the teacher questions about the topics described. | Listening to someone while operating the mobile device. |
| Job interview | Listen to the speaker during the presentation. |
Conclusion | In short, listening is an attentive process that requires one to consciously think in order to listen properly. The level of attention has an important role in the listening process. The difference between active and passive listening lies in the listener’s attention and involvement in the conversation.
