Personal Listening Profile® Paper

It is estimated that people screen out or change the intended purpose of what they hear in over 70% of all communications. We confuse hearing with listening. Hearing is passive and listening is active. Listening is interactive.

Did you know that there are five different ways that we listen? Or, that our listening approach is a significant factor that contributes to miscommunications in the workplace and in relationships?

Behavioral research shows that people listen with a preferred listening style. Sometimes the preferred style is suitable for the kind of listening required by a situation, and sometimes it is not. Like writing or speaking, we can improve our listening skills.

The Personal Listening Profile describes five listening approaches:

• Appreciative: Listens in a relaxed manner, seeking enjoyment, entertainment, or inspiration.
• Empathic: Listens without judging, is supportive of the speaker, and learns from the experiences of others.
• Comprehensive: Listens to organize and make sense of information by understanding relationships among ideas.
• Discerning: Listens to get complete information, understand the main message, and determine important details.
• Evaluative: Listens in order to make a decision based on information provided and may accept or reject message based on personal beliefs.

Understanding personal listening approaches is crucial to good communication. Effective listening skills provide the foundation for communicating productively both inside and outside the organization. The Personal Listening Profile® helps people become active, purposeful listeners in a wide variety of situations leading to productive communication.