Motives for Listening

When communicating with others, you listen for a variety of reasons. These different purposes are known as listening functions, and they powerfully shape how you choose to listen in specific situations. There are five common listening functions:

These five functions are not mutually exclusive: you might use two or more within the same encounter, or shift suddenly from one to another as circumstances change. In fact, you should demonstrate such flexibility. A key step in becoming an active listener is learning how to adapt your listening to the situation in which you find yourself (Teo, 2005). For example, while at a concert you may listen to appreciate, until your campus newspaper editor texts you a reminder that your review of the show is due the next morning—at which point you’ll listen to analyze. (See Table 7.1 on p. 167 for examples of how different listening functions can work together.)

To strengthen your ability to adapt your listening function, practice noticing the listening demands that different situations call for. Routinely ask yourself, What is my purpose for listening? Keep in mind that for some situations, certain types may be inappropriate or even unethical—like listening to analyze when your friend is clearly seeking emotional support.