Imagine yourself surrounded by people who are speaking a language that you cannot understand. When discriminative listening skills are combined with visual stimuli, the resulting ability to ‘listen’ to body-language enables us to begin to understand the speaker more fully – for example recognising somebody is sad despite what they are saying or how they are saying it. Differences include many subtleties, recognising foreign languages, distinguishing between regional accents and clues to the emotions and feelings of the speaker.īeing able to distinguish the subtleties of sound made by somebody who is happy or sad, angry or stressed, for example, ultimately adds value to what is actually being said and, of course, does aid comprehension. Not only can we recognise different voices, but we also develop the ability to recognise subtle differences in the way that sounds are made – this is fundamental to ultimately understanding what these sounds mean. As we grow older and develop and gain more life experience, our ability to distinguish between different sounds is improved. In early childhood, for example, a distinction is made between the sounds of the voices of the parents – the voice of the father sounds different to that of the mother.ĭiscriminative listening develops through childhood and into adulthood. This is the most basic form of listening and does not involve the understanding of the meaning of words or phrases but merely the different sounds that are produced. The two main types of listening - the foundations of all listening sub-types are:ĭiscriminative listening is first developed at a very early age – perhaps even before birth, in the womb. Listening: the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and/or non-verbal messages. Personal and Romantic Relationship Skills.Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills.

Non-Verbal Communication: Face and Voice.Tips for Effective Interpersonal Communication.The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Empathetic listening