Listening is one of the basic accomplishments that paints a graphic image of 1s rational make up every bit good as psychological composing and calm. Listening is both an act and an art, as an act we are of course expected to execute to be able to acquire along with others in human society. But listening can be an art when people make calculated effort to listen to a massage, understand, retrieve, construe and respond to it. Ugande ( 2005: 141 ) observes that listening dramas an of import function in all degrees of communications, Harmonizing to the bookman what the hearer brings to the communicating state of affairs is of premier importance to effectual communicating. This scholarly base point gives acceptance to the centrality of listening to effectual communicating.
However, people ‘s listening abilities are non the same and can barely be the same, hence the fluctuations of hearers and the subsequent wide categorizations of hearers into active and inactive hearers. Unlike the active hearers who are to the full involved in a listening state of affairs and do parts in the procedure, inactive hearers simply pay attending to a talker without doing parts. Passive listening behavior is that in which there is small or no self perceptual experience or personal engagement on the portion of the hearer. It is besides described as the type of listening in which many people merely engaged because they happen to be present when person else is speaking. For illustration an learner technician who joins the audience in an inaugural talk will listen passively. He merely will pull off to listen to sound, he will non be able to place meaningfully spoken signers. Passive hearing, it must be emphasised is a negative hearing behavior.
A inactive hearer is prone to many effects most of which have negative impact to his/her rational development and the advancement of the conversation. In the first topographic point, inactive hearing is useless when larning a linguistic communication, the flooring truth is that inactive hearing is ne’er traveling to help a inactive hearer to be fluent in a linguistic communication. What is even worse is that it wo n’t even assist a inactive hearer to understand to the full the content of the communicating brush. A inactive hearer who is larning a new linguistic communication will non achieve proficiency in the linguistic communication concerned. Listening passively has a direct effect of doing the hearer less importance to the conversation.
In the 2nd topographic point, a inactive hearing will non supply for necessary feedback for the communicating to boom. This is because the inactive hearer is non to the full involved in the hearing procedure that will help feedback. This gives rise to the leaning of the talker to feed the inactive hearer with information that may non be good to him or her ( the passive hearer ) .for illustration, each clip a fold is having a discourse from their religious leader even if the discourse is unnecessarily long or the leader is stating something that runs contrary to their feeling because they ( the fold members ) have adopted a inactive hearing attack therefore classified as inactive hearers can non straight make their feelings known. Looking at this illustration one can state a inactive hearer is at the clemency of the talker who decides what he/she ( the passive hearer ) hears.
Besides as portion of the effects of being a inactive hearer is that the hearer is really likely to take determinations that have direct negative consequence on him/her ( the passive hearer ) or take determinations for the involvement of the talker. This is peculiarly so where the talker is really persuasive in attack. Such a persuasive talker will therefore entreaty to the emotions of the inactive hearer thereby obliging him/her ( the passive hearer ) to take determinations that lack logical justification or societal credence or legal backup or cultural semen spiritual substance or even a combination of the afore mentioned parametric quantities. This farther exposes the inactive hearer evitable dangers. This is non the same with an active hearer who adopts critical listening attack and attempts to spot facts from sentiment and later passes opinion.
Similarly, a inactive hearer will non develop his/her intelligence as compelled to an active hearer. This is because his/her inactive engagement will retard creativeness bearing in head that a inactive hearer does non emphasize his/her mind to do parts during listening. This makes the fifty istener dull and erodes the quest for more information which in itself is polar for rational development. For case, between a pupil who passively listens to talks and the 1 who actively listens, there is a high possibility that active hearer will be more speculative, develop faster and more originative and productive.
Another effect of being a inactive hearer is slow and low assimilation. There is a really high possibility that inactive hearers will absorb low and really slow. Bing a inactive hearer sums to slower assimilation because the inactive hearer simply looks at the talker without being to the full involved in the conversation. This in bend reduces the velocity ( slow assimilation ) of assimilation and by extension the sum of information ( low assimilation ) being taking in by the inactive hearer. Again, a good illustration is a idolizing community. During a church discourse it is a common site to see some fold members kiping, some making other irrelevant things with merely a smattering of them concentrative. Even among those who appear to be concentrative, their degree of assimilation is slow and low. Very few of them can give history of the discourse at the terminal of everything. Some can non even tell others who are non present at the church sermon the subject of the discourse. The simple account is that, it is because they are inactive hearers and that is the direct effect of being a inactive hearer. Another good illustration is a category room state of affairs where the instructor intimidates the pupils with either bodily penalty or failure. The scholars will be inactive in listening and later cut down their degree of assimilation. Larry ( 1994:41 ) notes that careful listening makes you better able to react.And that good follow-up inquiries are the grade of a good conversationist. .
More so, being a inactive hearer has its effect of recollection deceleration. And recollection is one of the of import phases in listening. When a individual listens to a massage, him /her has to retrieve it so as to help the passing of opinion. But inactive hearing will decelerate down recollection because the hearer ( inactive hearer ) was non to the full involved in the conversation or communicating procedure. This will in bend lead to negative feedback or deficiency of it at all. In this way, Kohe and Williamson ( 2005:59 ) submit that the difference between success and failure is cognizing what to make and what non to make. For illustration, a inactive hearer who is asked to transport out some instructions may non be able to efficaciously put to death them for deficiency of engagement. Therefore, a inactive hearer has a low recollection rate which is the key to effectual communicating peculiarly where directives are involved. In add-on, a inactive hearer gets shallow thoughts on issues under deliberation. This is so because such a hearer does non inquire inquiries where applicable nor make parts that will pave manner for full apprehension of the affair.
More so, a inactive hearer has little or no regard among his/her equals. Such a hearer has low ego regard in the eyes of others. A inactive hearer is received as person of substance. Such a individual is perceived as unproductive and less of import. For illustration, during deliberations in the Nigerian national assembly, members who listen and make good parts have regard more than those who make small or no parts during continuing. Such assembly members become a beginning of pride to their constituencies who are frequently proud of their active engagement during sitting while at the same clip mocking those who listen passively and simply support gestures moved by their fellow co-workers.
Equally of import, inactive hearers are really likely to be bad talkers. This is mostly due to the fact that, their hapless concentration in listening is really likely to slop to their ability to talk to others and drive place their point.In this way, Aslett ( 1994:60 ) notes that listening is really indispensable to a talker Hence inactive hearers lack the critical head to listen critically and asks sensitive inquiries every bit good as brand meaningful parts, they will miss the ability to pass on efficaciously. This effect will be more marked when it comes to public speech production, bearing in head that public speech production demands a critical head to be able tactfully pass across message to an audience.
Passive hearing is less utile in inquiries and answer Sessionss. This is because inquiries and answer session ‘s demands active hearers. Passive hearers can non be good public retainers such as medical Doctors, Journalists, Police and even Businessmen and adult females.Such countries requires active hearers to be able to do valid determinations. Passive hearers can non besides to good instructors because learning demands active listening to able to react to the scholars reactions. Passive hearers can non even learn efficaciously bearing in head that larning requires active engagement.
From the above elaborate treatment, it is obvious that there are many effects of being a inactive hearer most of which are negative. It is on this note that there arises the demand for inactive hearers to better on their hearing abilities and go active hearers.
RREFENCES
Aslett, D. ( 1994 ) .Become a Successful Speaker.New Delhi: Writers Digest Books.
Kohe, M.J. and Williamson, J ( 2005 ) .How to Become a Mental Milionnaire.Nigeria: Mindex Printing
Larry, K. ( 1994 ) .How to Talk to Anyone Anywhere Anytime.New York: Three Rivers Press
Ugand, G. ( 2005 ) . Introduction to Mass Communication Skills. Makurdi: Jaheap ventures
