Next, judging occurs when you are sure you understand what the speaker has said and think about whether it makes sense. Do you believe what you have heard? You may decide that you will check Mrs. Jones right after that report because it doesn't sound like what you saw yesterday. Again, going back to the zebra story, you might think, "Could the stripes be different on every zebra?" And then you remember that fingerprints are different for every person, and think that this similar fact about zebras seems believable.
In order to have effective communication, it is also crucial to understand your personal approach to listening. Though we all have a natural or preferred approach to listening, we need to learn different approaches for specific situations. Sometimes our focus for listening is just to relax and enjoy the process. At other times we need to acquire knowledge, so we must concentrate and pay attention to details. Ocassionally we need to make a decision and analyze information to choose among options. The environment affects us along with our purpose and motivation.
Additionally, our responses indicate whether or not we are getting the information being sent. The "Personal Listening Profile" from Inscape Publishing has identified five different approaches to listening: appreciative, empathic, comprehensive, discerning, and evaluative. Developing the ability to use all of these approaches is indispensable. If you were at a concert or listening to an inspirational speaker or in a conversation, you would want to have an appreciative approach to listening. Your focus would be on enjoying and relaxing. You'd be motivated solely to be entertained and inspired. You would pay attention to the context and style of the presentation. Language and humor would be important, as would the way the experience made you feel.
When you are in a situation where you need to make a decision, you'd be looking for information to make a determination, and that requires a comprehensive listening approach. Your focus would be on organizing and summarizing the information you are hearing, relating the new facts to personal experience and seeing how they relate to what you need to do. You would decipher the rationale for the speaker's argument and listen for the main points and supporting ideas. During a discussion, you would elaborate on what had been said. You would ask appropriate questions for clarification, bring up related issues, and summarize what you heard. You might also be preparing yourself to share the information with others.
During the process of learning something new, you want to discern while listening to make sure you are getting all the information. As a discerning listener, you want to know the main message and focus closely on the presentation or conversation. Your motivation would be to sort out the details, decide what is important, and make sure nothing is missed. Taking notes, asking questions, eliminating distractions, concentrating, and repeating for confirmation are key components for discerning listening.
There are times when evaluating while listening is important. If you need to make a decision such as choosing a candidate in an election and are not sure if the information being presented is true, you'd be skeptical of what is being said. In this situation your motivation is to relate what is being heard to the speaker's personal beliefs, questioning the speaker's motives and looking for supporting facts for what you are hearing. You may respond selectively, stop listening, or even mentally give the sender advice at times. During elections many people are involved in serious debates within themselves over the facts, and often engage in attempts to persuade others to see their views. No matter what kind of approach you take to listening, what you hear passes through your filter or belief system. Challenging your beliefs is a worthwhile pursuit.
