Hearing is one of the five human senses by which we perceive and experience the world around us. Specifically, hearing is the ability to detect and distinguish different sounds through our ears. The inability to hear is termed “deafness.”
Listening is one important way that we mentally interpret and respond to what we hear. The inability to listen well has been attributed to distraction and divided attention, as well as to hearing loss.
Hearing
The human ear is made up of three main components: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Each area plays its part in simplifying, transmitting and amplifying sound waves; helping in the differentiation of sound; and conveying information about the sound to our brain.
People with a mild hearing loss have difficulty keeping up with conversations, especially in noisy environments. Those who suffer from moderate hearing loss have difficulty with conversations even in quiet surroundings. And people who suffer from severe and profound hearing loss not only can’t hear speech, they also don’t always hear environmental sounds, such as car horns, phones, doorbells and alarms.
Listening
Basically, listening is the ability to accurately receive spoken messages with the goal of sharing information and promoting understanding. In addition to hearing the words of a speaker, the following additional factors may enhance effective listening:
• Conscious focus on the speaker
• Elimination of external and internal distractions
• Interest in the topic
• Providing occasional feedback to the speaker in the form of agreement or requesting clarification
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