Robert Zoellner's Perception Of Listening On The Blind Spot

People can be so opinionated about things that they block out any info that goes against their belief. However, I don’t agree with the way Mooney depicts this occurrence. The way I see it, this is nothing more than human pride and self confidence forming a barrier to re-evaluation. Instead of changing their mind, at the risk of feeling foolish for being wrong, they choose to either carry on with the same belief or pretend to do so. I also believe that this does not apply to everybody. I believe some people are very conscious about their beliefs. They have an open mind and always carefully examine all the evidence.

In regards to responding to others, Beebe & Mottet (2016) suggest that if a person is serious about listening, they need to be serious about turning off messages that may compete for attention and selection, which are typically the first two stages of the listening process. Furthermore, when an individual commits to listening, they should be become other-oriented instead of self-centered, as listening is about the other person (Beebe & Mottet,

Communication isn’t just about talking. There are so many different elements to communicating in society. How a person gestures, the tone in an individual’s voice, an expression on a person’s face, how a person listens is all a part of communicating. As we all know, in order to communicate with one another we must be able to listen. I think in society people think that communication is all about speaking but in reality it is just a little piece to a bigger picture. In today’s society, listening seems to be a skill that is being neglected. Even though it is basically the first communication skill that we are exposed to, we have pushed it aside and chose speaking to dominate our lives. Researchers have discovered that fetuses can process incoming sounds during the last trimester of pregnancy, and that by 12 months children have learned sounds of and rules of their native language(Worthington, 3). This shows that children’s abilities to speak, read, write and reason are influenced highly by how well they are taught to listen. As parents we can all be teachers to our children so that they can grow up to be well-rounded communicators.

“The words ‘silent’ and ‘listen’ share the same letters for a reason: to truly listen... one must take the time, be approachable and be silent” (Shapiro). Silence is an important aspect to life. Some people think that quiet people aren’t powerful because their voice isn’t heard as much as others; however, quiet people are indeed one of the most important people in society. They are observant of their surroundings, they’re wise, giving good advice to others, and they’re good listener.

This quote helps us understand how children (and adults!) really want to be listened to:

We constantly have to justify our actions and dehumanize others who have different opinions from our own. In my experience, I try my best to avoid others who have different views from my own, especially political. Just recently, Donald Trump was elected president. Those who voted for him are seen as racist, sexist, and as a general moron. To me, I feel it is wrong to judge those who simply has a different perspective on politics and dehumanizing them won’t make anything better. Many of us try to justify our actions and beliefs since we believe we are right and they are wrong. In the story, Lou is very convinced he has no responsibility for his son’s habits and uses direct confrontation as a method of changing him. The father is so convinced that he is right, so he justifies forcing his son to change against their wills. If two people in an argument both believe they are right without a doubt and won’t listen to each other, then it goes nowhere. This isn’t a special case since almost every other human being is like this. We cannot to find peace if we do not acknowledge that other’s views are as valid as our

“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.”

I agree with his assertion that we are “losing our listening” because during his talk he stated, “We invented ways of recording, which was writing then moved to audio and video recording, the premium on accurate and careful listening has simply disappeared”. I was able to relate to this because it is a true statement because the art of conversation is being replaced by things such as personal broadcasting. For example, you are able to listen to the person, but you are not able to have a real conversation with the other individual. You are not able to ask clarifying questions to clarify the meaning of the message. You are not able to respond to the spoken and nonverbal messages. Also, you are not able to provide back-channel cues which are verbal and nonverbal signals which demonstrate listener response to the speaker.

Listening is a very complicated skill that many people do not posses. It requires individuals to reflect and to admit to their flaws. In order to communicate effectively it is important to know when to talk and listen. Peterson’s book is an excellent tool to enhance all types of relationships.

Talking and listening are essential life skills. The ability to talk in order to communicate and exchange ideas and information, to negotiate with others, to express feelings and emotions, allows human beings to function well in the world and to be full and active members of society. Communication, to be effective, requires the ability to listen, to understand and to make sense of what is heard. On the personal level, when we listen, we give attention to the other person in such a way as to allow them to feel heard, understood and therefore respected. In that way, listening is more than

When others dictate what we should think, feel and do, it eats away at our confidence. We begin to distrust our own instincts and we lose the ability to decipher what we really believe in versus what society, for example, wants us to be believe in. Although standing up for your beliefs seems difficult, the more you practice on it, the more you empower yourself. You build more confidence. Doing what you know is right takes guts; it takes guts to express an unpopular viewpoint. However, the more you tap on your guts, the more confident you become. We wouldn't be human if we didn't make the effort to step up and voice what you know is

When people fear opposition, they ignore it, even if it means becoming deaf to their own voice. Once silence masks the cries for change, it will snake its way over controversy, camouflaging it. Hiding problems will allow them to grow. “In order for democracy to work, everyone must feel welcome to say what they think, to engage with the issues that bedevil us as a society” (Edwards 2). Political correctness is in the way of learning about other’s perspectives because it obstructs self-expression.

Why can’t we let others have their say without feeling as though it invalidates ours?

Some may see a situation as being minor and irrelevant while others may perceive it as major and important, depending on what they were able to fathom. Some question the beliefs of others; they cannot apprehend the reasoning behind it all because they were raised by a different lifestyle. Something as simple as a color can raise a difference of an opinion; some may see just that color and not think twice about it, while another relives an entire memory. People rarely ever have the same opinion on one subject, just for the simple fact that we live in such a diverse society. The only thing people will ever be able to fully agree on, if that, is to disagree. We should allow ourselves to realize what is said or heard might not always be all that is there is, there are frequently multiple solutions to the same

Listening is an important form of communication. Unfortunately, many people who do not know how to listen believe they can listen well. They often say "I have been doing this all of my life of course I can listen". Listening is not inherited, or a personality trait, it is a skill that must be worked on and practiced.