chapter 6 - listening

Question 1

listening goals

Answer 1

-relationship development and enhancement
-gaining and comprehending information
-critical listening: evaluating the accuracy of a message and its value
-enjoyment and appreciation
-therapeutic listening: enables someone to talk through a problem of concern

Question 2

hearing

Answer 2

the passive physiological act of receiving sound that takes place when sound waves hit a person’s eardrum

Question 3

listening

Answer 3

the active process of receiving, attending to, interpreting and responding to symbolic activity

Question 4

receiving

Answer 4

initial step in listening process, where hearing and listening connect

Question 5

attending

Answer 5

second step in listening process when stimuli are perceived and focused on

Question 6

interpreting

Answer 6

third step when meaning is assigned to sounds and symbolic activity

Question 7

responding

Answer 7

final step, reacting to the message of another person

Question 8

reflecting

Answer 8

summarizing what another person has said to convey understanding of the message

Question 9

engaged listening

Answer 9

making a personal relational connection with the source of a message that results from the source and the receiver actively working together to create shared meaning and understanding
-caring, trusting,wanting to know more
-picking up on additional meaning

Question 10

task-oriented listening

Answer 10

listening style that is focused on deadlines, time and delivery
-risk of overpowering the objective of attention to the speaker. the best mix involves attention to tasks and speakers

Question 11

relational listening

Answer 11

recognizing, understanding, and addressing the interconnection of relationships and communication during the listening process
-recognizing communication affects relationships, and relationships affect communication. The impact a message has on your relationship and your perception of that relationship

Question 12

person-centered listening

Answer 12

a form of relational listening
-respect
-empathy
-genuineness
-unconditional positive regard

Question 13

respect

Answer 13

no judgements, accepting that different people have different legitimate ways of acting, with different priorities and different opinions

Question 14

empathy

Answer 14

understanding other’s perspectives and feelings, very powerful, creates self-esteem.

Question 15

genuineness

Answer 15

being openly and honestly as possible. creates trust, belief and honesty from both parties

Question 16

unconditional positive regard

Answer 16

regarding the other as a separate person, intrinsic worth and value
-human being instead of a human doing

Question 17

critical listening

Answer 17

the process of analyising and evaluating the accuracy, legitimacy, and value of messages and evidence produced to support claims
-not entirely negative

Question 18

plausibility

Answer 18

the extent to which a message seems legitimate. gut-feeling
-evaluation of source: who says message, past experience with speaker, status of speaker
-evaluation of arguments: fallacious (incorrect) arguments, obvious lies, faulty logic. Hasty generalization
-evaluation of consistency: message is free of internal contradiction and in harmony with info known to be true
-evaluation of evidence: verifiability: indication that the material being provided can be confirmed by other sources or means, quantity, quality

Question 19

environmental distractions

Answer 19

physical location, competing sources, room temperature or movements of other people
(loud environment)
solution: choose quiet environment for any important talk

Question 20

medium distractions

Answer 20

limitations or problems inherent in certain media and technology
-mobile phones, internet and connections
solution: switch to different medium, discontinue communication until quality of medium is established

Question 21

source distractions

Answer 21

audiotory and visual characteristics of the message source
-vocal characteristics (euh), physical appaerance, standing too close, unwanted touching
solution: overcome and manage it, delay the conversation to a more favourable time

Question 22

factual diversion

Answer 22

occurs when so much emphasis is placed on attending to every detail of the messages that the main point becomes lost
taking notes in lecture
solution: preparation, simplify notes, listen for structure and repetition, note-taking from slides, paraphrase, reread your notes

Question 23

semantic diversion

Answer 23

occurs when people are distracted by words or phrases used in a message through negative response or unfamiliarity
-sexual slur, word you don’t understand
solution: write difficult word down and look up later

Question 24

content (representational) listening

Answer 24

when people focus on the content level of meaning or literal meaning rather than the social or relational level of meaning
-focus on the surface level and not the deeper meaning

Question 25

selective meaning

Answer 25

when people focus more on the points of a message that correspond with their views and interests and pay less attention to those that do not

Question 26

egocentric listening

Answer 26

when people focus more on their message and self-presentation than on the message of the other person involved in an interaction
-disagreements mostly, people focus too much on what they are going to say next that they fail to listen to others

Question 27

experiential superiority

Answer 27

when people fail to listen to someone else fully because they believe that they posses more or superior knowledge and experience than the other person

Question 28

message complexity

Answer 28

occurs when people find a message so complex or confusing they stop listening
solution: force yourself to listen and paraphrase

Question 29

wandering thoughts

Answer 29

daydreams or thoughts about things other than the message being presented
-not necessarily cause by lack of interest, but rather by the fact that you process information faster than at the rate someone speaks
solution: use the extra time to summarize what the speaker is saying -> helps you remain focused and increases your understanding of the message

Question 30

past experience with the source

Answer 30

when previous encounters with a person lead people to dismiss or fail to critically examine a message because the person has generally been right or wrong in the past
-when they often lie or are wrong about everything they say
solution: critically listen