Organizational Behavior

Listening is ‘Not an attempt to understand something that is being said’ but ‘Just an attention to the activity of sounds’

| Making sure that you are at eye level, taking time to allow individuals to finish what they are saying, to reflectively listen, so that they may feel understood, to provide where appropriate another way of communicating for example using a white board.

Ms. Headlee also emphasized the importance of active listening. As defined in our book, “Active listening is mindful, not mindless. It requires focused attention” (Rothwell 151) Being mindful means that you are conscious and aware of what the person is saying. That means that you are listening and ready to respond to what is being said. If you are actively listening you will be able to build onto the conversation by making comments, asking questions, and responding to what they are saying.

In Chapter 3, Listening, Gregory discusses the importance of listening to the speaker. Gregory points out that although the words “hearing” and “listening” are used interchangeably, they have two separate connotations. Hearing is picking up soundwaves with our ears, while listening is making sense of what the speaker is saying with our mind. I have now grasped the concept of what listening actually is. Two behaviors that I have observed or participated in are electronic usage during a speech or presentation and becoming distracted. As a result, I have decided to emphasize the importance of rejecting electronic intrusions and resisting distractions.

James Petersen (2007) uses five parts to describe the talking and listening to help us process a better way of communicating and understanding each other. They are provided to help us connect in our relationships with others. According to Petersen, most of us think we listen well, but we don’t. Not

Followed by Part One, I found a very keen interest with the next section. The most predominant and effective to reflect on and apply would be Part Two: “The Talker-Listener Process”.

The opportunity to gauge my personal listening style in the home was exponentially more revealing than any other experience. During conversations with my children, my listening style would vacillate between time-oriented, people-oriented, and content-oriented; sometimes with a combination of two different styles. I found that content-based and time-oriented listening was employed during homework and reading time, whereas people-oriented listening was applied to all other situations. With my fiancée, I realized that the listening styles I use most are that of content and time-based listening. We rarely have access to each other, so it unnerved me to awaken to the fact that I didn’t inject the attributes of a people-oriented listener

And in today’s business world, more emphasis is put on how one deals with others whether a colleague from work, a customer of the company; and oftentimes people with good interpersonal skills are more productive and coachable. As the former Chrysler CEO Lee

How is active listening used to create understanding of opposing viewpoints? Active listening is used

One powerful component of constructive communication is the capability to be an effective listener. Our conversations will continue to reach dead ends if we do not realize where we may lack in our listening skills, decide to make improvements, and follow through. Therefore, we are left with two options when we learn we do not listen well, continue to listen the way we have been or make the conscious effort to improve and become sharpened listeners.

We used “listening to understand” method when we were discussing the topic for the project and also when members were sharing the information that they found. We used both the “listening to respond” and “listening to interpret” methods during the socialization of group with topics such as personal lives that were unrelated to the assignment. I believe that my listening ability was very effective in the group along with everyone else. We all exemplified the habits that demonstrate an effective listener, which are knowledge, skills and desire (Covey,

Nichols includes ways that we can really listen including paying attention, appreciating the speakers point of view, and voicing your understanding (Nichols 2009). Another thing that Nichols pointed out that I found very interesting was viewing listening as a loss of control. One does not really listen if they are afraid of what they are going to hear (Nichols 2009). I found this view very interesting because I had never considered this, it even ties into criticism and defensiveness from the previous chapter. Regarding criticism, we are afraid of what is going to be said about us

Objectives: This first module is about paying particularly close attention to both the content and the conditions of a crucial conversation. An emphasis is placed on being aware of not just what is being said, but also how it is being said and how your audience is reacting.

He also brought up how intention was a great way to show the person you are listening and engaged and want to listen. A fun little fact he shared that was inside the lecture was that if they closed their eyes they would know the size or the room and be aware of the people around them just by the vibrations of sound and the micro noises that they are hearing that captured my attention and I just thought it was very interesting. There is a way of listening and there is a way to listen in many different environment and to be aware. I was able to learn the meaning to these many different styles which caught my eye and interested

The first passage I’ve chosen to be relevant and important in effective business management is focusing on effective communication. Mr. Peach show up early one morning to inquire about a customer order that has not been processed. Although he had tried to reach Mr. Rogo the night before and was unsuccessful I believe he should have reached out to him again either by phone or email explaining the situation and giving some suggestion of how the problem should be solve. If it turned out that his suggestions were unsuccessful then he can appear in person to make sure things get done. Nonetheless, Mr. Peach