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Effective Listening In The Play '12 Angry Men'

Decent Essays

In the 1954 teleplay “12 Angry Men”, viewers initially encounter twelve Jury members tasked with determining the guilt of a 19 year old man who was accused of stabbing his father to death. Each of the jurors, through the use of their unique perspectives’ and personal bias, drew their own conclusions- in regards to the accused’s innocence- after carefully listening to and deliberating the witness testimonies and evidence brought before them. However, becomes increasingly evident that several jurors display both effective listening skills, while others cannot seem to overcome the barriers of effective listening set before them.
One of the most apparent demonstrations of the use of effective listening can be observed through Juror #8. Throughout “12 Angry Men”. This juror is constantly listening to the opinions of his fellow jurors with an open and receiving attitude by giving acknowledgement and feedback to others, asking appropriate questions, and physically exhibiting his attentiveness through his body language and tone of voice. He remains calm during the jury’s deliberations, and often tries to distinguish …show more content…

He openly admits to another jury member that he selectively listened during the trial due to an evident lack of interest and a judgmental attitude towards both the accused and the judicial system. This, as the viewer later learns, is also due to a personal and emotion connection the juror feels towards the case in the form of the strained personal relationship with his son. Juror #3 also demonstrates an evident lack of interest in the opinions of others during deliberations; he also develops a prejudice against certain jurors such as Juror #8 and Juror #9 when they press a ‘hot buttons’ issue by openly argue with his logic or opinion. He even becomes physically agitated and violent towards these jury members as they continue to question

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