What are your main take away lessons from the assigned reading this week? Describe and explain.

The reading has given emphasis on the concept of listening. There has been an enumeration of its importance and other relevant information. The chapter has gone ahead to outline varied challenges that people encounter when trying to listen to information coming from different sources. Listening has the ability to improve one’s communication practices. A good listener will have the ability to communicate effectively since he/she understands the other party quite well given the information that has been derived by way of ardent listening. Listening tends to contribute to the environment that a personal relationship thrives. It is an important ingredient that helps to bring some levels of satisfaction to the parties involved.

People have several misconceptions when it comes to listening. The concept of listening is not that straightforward to most people. It is good to understand the misconceptions that might be prevalent to ensure that they do not affect the way that we communicate negatively. Among the misconceptions is the lack of understanding that listening and hearing is not the same thing. According to Adler et al. (2014), “hearing is the process in which sound waves strike the eardrum and cause vibrations that are transmitted to the brain. Listening occurs when the brain reconstructs these electrochemical impulses into a representation of the original sound and then gives them meaning”(p. 135). Simply put, someone might be hearing as the other communicates, but they are not listening. People should also understand that listening is not a natural process. It is more of a skill just like speaking. This means that everyone has the ability of doing it, but only a few people will do it well (Adler et al., 2014). Another aspect is that all listeners do not receive the same message. How people comprehend information is quite different, and that is why people react differently to a similar set of instructions.

Listening skills that people possess tend to decrease as they age. As people grow old, their listening attributes tend to decline. Their ability to improve their listening skills becomes low too. For people that are looking to improve their listening attributes, they need to work hard on this area. There are some faulty listening behaviors that make it difficult for people to become good listeners. They include selective listening, ambushing, insensitive listening, pseudo-listening, defensive listening and insulated listening among others. Other reasons that culminate to poor listening include rapid thought, message overload, physical noise, faulty assumptions, psychological noise and hearing problems.

The type of listening adopted by people is dependent on the purpose of listening. Each type of listening calls for enactment of specific skills to attain the desired information. There is relational listening, goal of task listening, goal of critical listening, analytical listening, and supportive listening just to mention a few.

How will they affect the way you communicate?

The reading has challenged me with regards to my listening skills. I have got to understand that most of the times that I am communicating with people, I am hearing what they are saying, but not listening to the information. This is why when I meet someone for the first time, they will tell me their name, but I will forget after a short period.  I have seen the need for improving my listening skills as they will go a long way in enhancing my personal relationships. As a professional, it will also help me significantly in my career endeavors.

I will also try to avoid some faulty listening behaviors that I have come to understand I possess. Among them is being a selective listener. At times I find myself that there is specific information I want to hear, and nothing else but that. I have understood that this deters me from becoming a good listener, and it is something I have to change.

In what ways do the concepts in the videos and readings relate to your professional life in education?

The video “Danny and Annie” shows the value of listening in interpersonal relationships. It is through listening that Danny has been able to understand his wife, and this has made it possible for him to treat her with lots of respect and love. They seem to support each other at all times since there is a good understanding between them.

“5 ways to listen better” on the other hand demonstrates that people are not good listeners. This is usually evidenced by the percentage of information they manage to retain while listening. Julian Treasure asserts that people can become good listeners through listening position, acronym, the mixer and silence. This is a video that can be useful to people in different professional careers. There is the need to learn ways of becoming good listeners since the interactions involved will encompass other people from different backgrounds. How well an individual listens can shape the direction of the relationship that has been established at the workplace.

 Reference

Adler, R., Rodman, G., & DuPré, A. (2014). Understanding human communication (12th ed.). Oxford University Press.

 
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