There are many research terms describing the purpose of listening. The following describes a few:
1. Informational/Comprehensive listening
2. Discriminative listening
3. Bias listening
4. Sympathetic/Empathic listening
5. Critical listening
When we are actively listening, we are applying one, two, three, or more purposes, mindfully aware or mindfully unaware.
1. Informational/Comprehensive listening is when we want to learn something, understand a message, or retain the latest information. This type of listening requires a high level of concentration and energy. It is no wonder most employees feel exhausted after a business meeting, a student has little energy left after leaving a classroom, or a retiree needs a nap after leaving a Medicare call.
2. Discriminative listening uses tones as verbal cues. It is how babies learn early on to recognize the difference in voices – mommy and daddy’s voice, grandma and grandpa’s voice, aunts, uncles, and siblings. This type of listening can be subject to traumatic experiences, especially when raised in a household continuously filled with loud, angry arguments.
3. Bias listening is someone who listens selectively. They listen to what they want to hear. This type of listening often leads to misunderstandings, distorting facts, and conscious or unconscious prejudices.
4. Sympathetic/Empathic listening is driven by emotion. When we listen sympathetically, we hang on to every word to understand how a person is feeling, so we know how we can support them. The difference between sympathetic and empathic listening is that an empathetic listener relates to someone’s experience as if it were their own. They are known as an empath. An empathic listener can easily be overwhelmed and carry the emotions of others.
5. Critical listening is when there is a complex problem to be solved, and the listener is separating emotions from essential facts.
So, the next time you are having a conversation with your family, a loved one, at the office, or with friends, ask what, why, and how am I listening? Now, some things are worth mindfully paying attention to, and listening is just one of them! Josette Veltri, a Boca Pointe resident, is a certified educator and coach on loss and transition. Her purpose is to assist clients with healing and move forward so they can go from I Can’t to I Can, One Step at a Time. She can be reached at [email protected] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josettejveltri/).
