The Message

Perceiving, comprehending and listening are receptive facets of interpersonal communication. None of them are a passive process. Rather, each is an active mental, emotional and physical processing of messages that the listener receives.
While a listener may perceive something; it only means they are simply aware of it. Perception does not imply understanding. The listener must comprehend something to begin to understand it. Comprehend is to understand the nature or meaning of; grasp with the mind; perceive and understand.
While it helps if a speaker’s message is interesting, it is more important for the listener to be able to set aside perceptions of the speaker and listen for the message. The choice of words or language in which the speaker translates a message will certainly influence the quality of their communication. But language is still a symbolic representation of a phenomenon, which leaves room for individual interpretation and distortion of the meaning. Meaning has to be given to words and many variables affect how each listener will attribute meaning to particular words. It is important to note that no two listeners will attribute the exact same meaning to the same words.
Perceptions—and the expectations that drive them—have their basis in attitudes. The listener’s attitudes determine how they react to, and interact with, the world around them. Perception is a three phase process of selecting, organizing and interpreting information. The listener and speaker can understand interpersonal situations better if they learn to appreciate how each construct perceptions. “It doubles your perception, to write from the point of view of someone you're not.” Michael Ondaatje
The listeners’ perception of a communication is affected by their past experience with the speaker. Perception is also affected by the organizational relationship two people have. For example, communication from a superior may be perceived differently than that from a subordinate or peer.
Listeners react to stimuli in the environment in very different ways. All listeners have shortcuts that they use to organize data. Invariably, these shortcuts introduce some biases into communication. Some of these shortcuts include stereotyping, projection, and self-fulfilling prophecies. Stereotyping is one of the most common. This is when we assume that the other person has certain characteristics based on the group to which they belong without validating that they in fact have these characteristics.
Listening to be informed is where the listener’s primary concern is to understand the message. Listeners are successful insofar as the meaning they assign to messages is as close as possible to that which the sender intended.
Listening to understand is found in all areas of our lives. Much of our learning comes from listening that requires understanding of the sender’s message. For example, we listen to lectures or instructions from teachers—and what we learn depends on how well we listen. In the workplace, we listen to understand new practices or procedures—and how well we perform depends on how well we listen. We listen to instructions, briefings, reports, and speeches; if we listen poorly, we aren’t equipped with the information we need.
Listening is a seven stage process of hearing, selecting, attending, understanding, evaluating, remembering, and responding actively with feedback.