Dana Godlevska,
candidate of pedagogical sciences,
assistant professor, Kiev

Effective listening as the component of students’ communicative competence 
in profile higher educational institutions

Effective listening is one of the main components of students’ communicative competence. To be successful at their job, aviation industry specialists must be able to write, speak, and listen effectively. Of these three skills, effective listening may be the most crucial because specialists are required to do it so often. Listening also may be the most difficult skill to master.
That is the difference between hearing and listening. Hearing is a physical ability while listening is a skill. Listening skills allow one to make sense of and understand what another person is saying [1]. In other words, listening skills allow to understand what someone is "talking about".
Listening is difficult because people don't work as hard at it as they should. Listening seems to occur so naturally that putting a lot of effort into it doesn't seem necessary. However, hard work and effort is exactly what effective listening requires.
Effective listening is the basis for forming of professional competences of future aviation industry specialists which are shown in the process of communication with colleagues, administration and in joint professional activity. Aviation industry specialists can use the following techniques to improve these skills.
1. Concentrate on what others are saying. In the middle of a conversation we sometimes realize that we haven't heard a word the other person has said. Aviation industry specialists' job today is very fast and complex, and because the brain does not use all of its capacity when listening, specialists' mind may drift to thinking of further questions or explanations rather than listening to the message at hand. This unused brainpower can be a barrier to effective listening, causing the specialist to miss or misinterpret what others are saying. It is important for aviation industry specialists to actively concentrate on what others are saying so that effective communication can occur.
2. Send the nonverbal message that you are listening. When someone is talking to you maintain eye contact with that person. Try to show the speaker you are listening by nodding your head. Lean forward and not use your hands to play with things. Most communication experts agree that nonverbal messages can be three times as powerful as verbal messages. Effective communication becomes difficult anytime you send a nonverbal message that you're not really listening.
3. Avoid early evaluations. Because a listener can listen at a faster rate than most speakers talk, there is a tendency to evaluate too quickly. That tendency is perhaps the greatest barrier to effective listening. It is especially important to avoid early evaluations when listening to a person with whom you disagree. When listeners begin to disagree with a sender's message, they tend to misinterpret the remaining information and distort its intended meaning so that it is consistent with their own beliefs.
4. Avoid getting defensive. Careful listening does not mean that you will always agree with the other party's point of view, but it does mean that you will try to listen to what the other person is saying without becoming overly defensive. Too much time spent explaining, elaborating, and defending your decision or position is a sure sign that you are not listening. This is because your role has changed from one of listening to a role of convincing others they are wrong. After listening to a position or suggestion with which you disagree, simply respond with something like, "I understand your point. We just disagree on this one." Effective listeners can listen calmly to another person even when that person is offering unjust criticism.
5. Practice paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is the art of putting into your own words what you thought you heard and saying it back to the sender. First, you have to listen very carefully if you are going to accurately paraphrase what you heard. Second, the paraphrasing response will clarify for the sender that his or her message was correctly received and encourage the sender to expand on what he or she is trying to communicate.
6. Listen (and observe) for feelings. The way a speaker is standing, the tone of voice and inflection he or she is using, and what the speaker is doing with his or her hands are all part of the message that is being sent. A person who raises his or her voice is probably either angry or frustrated. Interruptions may suggest fear or lack of confidence. Persons who make eye contact and lean forward are likely exhibiting confidence. Arguments may reflect worry. Inappropriate silence may be a sign of aggression and be intended as punishment.
7. Ask questions. Effective listeners make certain they have correctly heard the message that is being sent. Ask questions to clarify points or to obtain additional information. Open-ended questions are the best. They require the speaker to convey more information. Form your questions in a way that makes it clear you have not yet drawn any conclusions. This will assure the message sender that you are only interested in obtaining more and better information. And the more information that you as a listener have, the better you can respond to the sender's communication [2].
Aviation industry specialists who use "active" listening will become much better listeners. Active listening demands that the receiver of a message put aside the belief that listening is easy and that it happens naturally and realize that effective listening is hard work. The result of active listening is effective communication.
Literature:
1.	John Adair. Effective communication. – London: Pan Books, 1997. – 223 p.
2.	Carolyn Boyes. Communication secrets. – London: HarperCollins, 2010. – 127 p.