BenjaminBerntson

LorenaNavarro

ListeningPresentationTwoPageSummaryCOMM2110
Ourgrouppresentationwasonthetopicoflistening.Iwillshowtheclassa35second
clipfromthehitTVshowFamilyGuytodemonstratealisteningerror.Lorenawillthensharea
personalexperienceandshareitwiththeclass.

Listeningisoneofthemostimportanttopicsininterpersonalcommunicationforreasons

thatareobvious.Ifyouarenotlistening,thenyouarenotcommunicating.Youneedstolistenin
ordertohaveanyformofinterpersonalcommunication.Becauselisteningissocrucialto
interpersonalcommunication,weoughttoproperlydefineit.Thebookdefineslisteningasthe
activeprocessofmakingmeaningoutofanotherpersonsspokenmessage(Floyd,2010).This
definitiontellsusafewthingsaboutlistening.Firstofall,listeningismorethansimplyhearing
someone.Listeningrequiresan
active
engagementinwhatisbeingsaid,andhearingissimply
auditorystimuli.Theotherthingthatthisdefinitiontellsusisthatlisteningmakesmeaningfor
us.Inotherwords,howwelistenwilltelluswhatthemeaningisofmessagesthatarebeingsaid.
Asyoucanalreadytell,thisimpliesthatthereareafewmythsaboutlistening.
Thefirstmythaboutlisteningisthathearingisthesameaslistening.Thisisnottrue.
Hearingdoesnotrequireactivecognitivefunction.Thesecondmythaboutlisteningisthat
listeningisnaturalandeffortless.Thisisfalsebecauselisteningrequiresefforttodowell.The
thirdmythisthatalllistenershearthesamething.Thisisfalsebecausepeopleheardifferent
thingswhenlistening.
Beyondthesemyths,itsimportanttorecognizethatcultureaffectslisteningbehavior.
Differentculturesinterpretthingsdifferently.

BenjaminBerntson
LorenaNavarro

ListeningPresentationTwoPageSummaryCOMM2110
Therearealsomultiplewaysoflistening.Thestageofeffectivelisteningarecontained
withinwhatiscalledtheHURIERmodel,andtheyareHearing,Understanding,Remembering,
Interpreting,Evaluating,Responding.
The
main
typesoflisteningareinformationallistening,criticallistening,andempathic
listening.Informationallisteningisamodeoflisteningwhereonelistensforinformation.
Criticallisteningisamodeoflisteningwhereonelistenstounderstandandevaluateinformation.
Empathiclisteningisamodeoflisteningwhereonelistenstounderstandandprovideemotional
warmthtoothers.
Therearesomeimportantcommonbarrierstolistening.Theyarenoise,pseudolistening,
informationoverload,glazingover,rebuttaltendency,closedmindedness,competitive
interrupting.Beyondtheseimportantbarrierstolistening,therearealsoquiteafewthingsyou
candotobecomeabetterlistener.
Tobecomeabetterinformationallistener,thefirstthingyouneedtoremembertodoisto
separatewhatisandisnotsaid.Thenextthingyoushoulddoisavoidtheconfirmationbias.And
thelastthingyoushouldalwaysdoisremembertolistenforsubstanceoverstyle.
Tobecomeabettercriticallistener,remembertobeaskeptic,evaluateaspeakerscredibility,
andunderstandprobability.
And,lastly,tobecomeabetterempathiclistener,remembertolistennonjudgmentally,
acknowledgetheirfeelings,andcommunicatesupporttothemnonverbally.
Justtosummarize,listeningisimportantforawholebunchofdifferentreasons.
Rememberthatnexttimeyouretalkingtosomeone,askareyourself,amIreallylisteningto
thisperson?Itsimportant.Thisconcludesourpresentation.