A vital aspect of interpersonal communication is the style in which one listens. While every individual possesses their own preferred method of listening in communication, it can be enlightening to analyze our own strengths and weaknesses so as to maximize effectual communication. Within the confines of four main listening style categories, I have chosen those which best describe my own personal listening style. Upon exploring the four different personal listening styles from which we had to choose, I was surprised to realize that I am considered a people-oriented and content-oriented listener. Another listening style which scored within close range of the aforementioned results was that of time-oriented listening. These results were greatly unexpected given my high level of energy and desire to accomplish goals, but certainly seemed to prove valid through my subsequent self-exploration. In order to determine whether or not my listening style changes in various situations, I decided to perform an assessment of my conversations over the past ten days. The first evaluation I conducted occurred after volunteering at my child’s school, and yielded some rather interesting results. I reflected upon my conversations with the teachers, and settled on my listening style being more content-oriented; while my interaction with the children was almost completely people-oriented. I had predicted that my listening style would be more balanced between all of the age groups involved; however, I could not relay many of the details discussed with the children after my volunteering time ended. I am happy to say that I did retain most of the content of my conversations with the teachers, but had no recollection of an emotional impression with t... ... middle of paper ... .... Through the evaluation of reactions from both myself and others, I have realized the significant impact the misuse of a particular listening style may have. These effects reach beyond social and professional environments, and in some cases may produce unintended negative effects with family. I had not realized that the two listening styles I use most commonly could be so incredibly polarized when it comes to employing critical listening. As a result, I have devised appropriate steps which I feel will assist in creating a more balanced conversational environment and improve my overall effectiveness in communication. I was surprised to discover that my listening styles are not always conducive to the environment in which I am listening; however, I am consequently compelled to take the steps necessary to achieve higher-quality communication in every aspect of life.
James C. Petersen (2007), author of Why Don’t We Listen Better, offers practical advice on how to communicate effectively and connect with others. In order to help his readers, communicate effectively, Petersen (2007) divides his book into five divisions. Each division builds on the content in the preceding portions. Every segment provides a great amount of information, which will aid people in how they choose to communicate.
One of the fundamental areas in which Andrew and Margaret struggle is with listening. Listening is critical in maintaining deep connections or relationships with other individuals. Effective listening includes areas of understanding, empathy, non-judgment, critical, deep and active styles. When Andrew introduces Margaret to his father, for example, Margaret fails to hear the relational messages spoken between the two. During thi...
At the beginning of the semester our class was introduced to a new term, listenability. The level of listenability is at the mercy of the speaker, not of the audience. During our semester, we were taught to harness the listenability keys of strategy, structure, support, and style in order to achieve a high level of listenability. Examples of listenability include when a speaker engages the audience by asking questions, using narratives or stories that people can relate to, and has stimulating visual support and content. These are only a couple of keys used to create a listener centered speech.
Talking and listening are essential life skills. The ability to talk in order to communicate and exchange ideas and information, to negotiate with others, to express feelings and emotions, allows human beings to function well in the world and to be full and active members of society. Communication, to be effective, requires the ability to listen, to understand and to make sense of what is heard. On the personal level, when we listen, we give attention to the other person in such a way as to allow them to feel heard, understood and therefore respected. In that way, listening is more than just functional, it matters in the building and maintaining of family life, in communities and in society as a whole. Our ability to talk and listen begins in childhood when we start to develop these important skills. There are factors which will enhance this opportunity, and factors which are not helpful.
1. Become a Good Listener: We’ve all been told to be a good listener, and assume that “listening” requires a response. But we never stop to think that the speaker may wish to talk
People often confuse hearing with listening, believing that they share the same meaning. However, hearing is the spontaneous transmission of noise through the ear, while listening is described as a dynamic process that involves receiving a message, interpreting its meaning, and responding appropriately (Kreunus et al. 2011, p. 42; Thompson 2002, p. 89). The listening process is comprised of five stages involving a number of skills that can be developed with practice; receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating and responding (Buchanan 2016, p. 84; Thompson 2002, p. 90; Tyler, Kossen & Charmaine 2005, p. 266). Further, key points associated with active listening include, focusing on the message to avoid distraction; expressing empathy using verbal and nonverbal cues; avoid interrupting the speaker; avoid making judgements based on personal beliefs and attitudes; and repeat the message to confirm what has been interpreted (Tyler, Kossen & Charmaine 2005, p.
Listening is a behavioral skill that takes practice and it can be lost if not used regularly. In early years, listening is taught, a way to show respect with undivided attention to the person who is speaking. But a good listener is someone who takes time to respond with an empathetic response, despite the mood of the speaker and ask questions to keep the conversation going. A good listener comes with certain qualities like empathetic, caring, and attentive. Listening is not used as a way to connect with people and sustain relationships, it is used for simple tasks; today, listening is affected by selective attention, digital distraction, and simply
Communication in all relationship can be successful when our listener get the message that we want to convey and it is not so much about what we want to say. Listening is a unique process because it involves psychological and voluntary process that goes beyond simply reacting to sounds. It includes understanding, analyzing, evaluating, and responding. As a human, we will use different listening styles, depending on our preferences and purposes. Listening styles refer to the different ways people listen and analyze the content of a conversation. Usually, these styles either have to do with the way listeners choose to receive the message or with how they analyze the message. Listening is very important because we listen in order to establish and communicate power. There are few types of listening that can be used in order to communicate effectively.
Listening can be difficult or challenging no matter who or what situation you may encounter. In this refection I have utilized the four styles of listening that people use when listening, depending on their preferences and purpose, as originated by Baker, L.L. (1971). Listening Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall Watson, K.W. and Baker, L.L. (1995). Listening Styles
It is very important to understand that in everyday communication we are either the speaker or listener and it’s important that we do those jobs as best we can in order to have a healthy communication relationship. This activity was very useful because I got to reflect on my past successes and failures in my communicating strategies and in doing so I can improve and adapt to become a better communicator and listener. I believe that this assignment is very useful because it is real life experiences that may occur again and I can better assess the situation and use the appropriate communicating strategy necessary. This reflection will help me in my personal development by giving me situational experience that I will be able to correctly approach in and out of the
Listening can be difficult or challenging no matter who or what situation you may encounter. In this refection I have utilized Baker (1971) and Waston (1995) Listening Style. I chose to use the four distinct styles because it will improve my listening and communication skills in personal and work relationships. After many years of not be able to understand my spouse listening and communication skills, I am now somewhat able to effectively communicate with him. The best way to understand
As a professional in today’s society, it is greatly important to be able to communicate effectively with other professionals, with clients, and with those that are encountered in daily living. In order to communicate in a proper manner, not only is talking and non-verbal communication, but a large aspect is the ability to listen. Listening is a vital task in order to build a relationship and find meaning in someone else’s words. In order to find this meaning one must follow the characteristics of active listening, face the challenges to listening, and reflect upon one’s own listening skills.
In all aspects in life effective listening plays an important role in our lives, both professionally and personally. As many of know from experience listening is never easy in fact it can be difficult to understand what is being said by the speaker. Because of laps in attention we tend to misunderstand some of the messages that are being relayed to us or disregard them altogether. Effective listening is important for receiving the correct feedback from those you’re speaking with and requires a focus that should be central to what is being said or what topic is being discussed.
To be effective listeners, the listening process should be incorporated into our lives. We should be attentive to what people say, clarify what the speaker is trying to come across, and respond in a way the speaker can understand what we are saying. I think I was aware that I needed some improvement in certain areas of this process but I feel as everything is slowly changing. In the future, I’m going try not to interrupt people, get distracted, tune out, and try to get a bigger picture of what the person is telling me. If good listening habits are applied in our day-to-day life, we can easily communicate with anyone and everyone.
One of the main aspects in communicating is listening. An effective listener is one who, not only comprehends how the speaker feels but, also understands what they are stating. Building a strong connection between the speaker and the listener is one of the first steps to become a good listener. By building this connection speakers should first be in an environment with open minded listeners, it makes them feel more comfortable to state their opinions, feelings and ideas. Listeners should avoid being judgmental. The individual does not have to agree with the ideas, values or opinions of the speaker; however, to fully understand them, one must put aside their criticism. Speakers will believe that they can trust the listeners with their information when they know that they will not be judged. Miscommunication happens frequently, listene...