READ THE PASSAGE AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW.
Research has shown that the human mind
can process words at the rate of about 500
per minute, whereas a speaker speaks at
the rate of about 150 words a minute. The
difference between the two at 350 is quite
large.
So a speaker must make every effort to
retain the attention of the audience and the
listener should also be careful not to let his
mind wander. Good communication calls for
good listening skills. A good speaker must
necessarily be a good listener.
Listening starts with hearing but goes
beyond. Listening involves hearing with
attention. Listening is a process that calls
for concentration. While listening, one
should also be observant. In other words,
listening has to do with the ears, as a well
as with the eyes and the mind. Listening
is to be understood as a total process that
involves hearing with attention, being
observant and making interpretations. Good
communication is essentially an interactive
process. It calls for participation and
involvement. It is quite often a dialogue
rather than a monologue. It is necessary
to be interested and also show or make it
abundantly clear that one is interested in
knowing what the other person has to say.
Good listening is an art that can be cultivated.
It relates to skills that can be developed. A
good listener knows the art of getting much
more than what the speaker is trying to
convey. He knows how to prompt, persuade
but not to cut off or interrupt what the other
person has to say. At times the speaker
may or may not be coherent, articulate
and well organised in his thoughts and
expressions. He may have it in his mind
and yet he may fail to marshal the right
words while communicating his thought.
Nevertheless a good listener puts him at
ease, helps him articulate and make it
easier for him to get across the message
that he wants to convey. For listening to be
effective it is also necessary that barriers to
listening are removed. Such barriers can be
both physical and psychological. Physical
barriers generally relate to hindrances to
proper hearing whereas psychological
barriers are more fundamental and relate to
the interpretation and evaluation of speaker
and the message.
What makes any listener a good listener?
A good listener _______.
Aalready knows what the speaker is going
to say
Bis able to articulate the speaker's thoughts
and ideas
Cdoesn't interrupt the speaker, and helps
put his/her point across
Donly A and B