Why Don T We Listen Better Summary

In a country as racially diverse as the United States of America, it is certain that there is tension amongst those of different races. While most minorities have fought long and hard to earn acceptance and equality from others, Native Americans have not reached that level of unity yet. In fact, in “We Talk, You Listen ,” Vine Deloria Jr. argues that there is a movement toward minority inclusion, but it has come at an expense of dehumanizing racial groups like Native Americans. For instance, Deloria states that in war movies, Indians have only appeared under white men to send secret messages using a language that the enemy would not be able to understand, meaning that “it was the strangeness of Indians that made the visible, not their humanity”

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.

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.

I know how to speak, and I can hear when people talk to me, but why is it that we still consume ineffective listening skills between one another? When we think of effective listening at work or on the job, most of us think of what we actually say or what is said to us. What I am going to cover is the factors and barriers of effective communication, strategies for active, critical and empathic listening and understanding the impact of gender and culture on interpersonal communication.

The topic discussed by Julian Treasure in his TED Talk is listening. He gives some suggestions on how to improve our listening in our everyday lives. He also explains how listening is something that should be improved on by society because it is not being used effectively. During his discussion he makes some valid points that I agree with and will explain how and go more into detail in the following paragraphs.

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

The ability to speak and listen effectively can mean the difference between succeeding and failing in a job.

This video is from Rebekah Fensome, a life coach, offering tips on how to improve communication skills. Her first suggestion is to ask open ended questions. This can be an excellent tip if using it to obtain information or start convention. It may not be the best tip to try if coming from a higher management that is trying to teach or give out information. Fensome’s second tip, is active listening. Listening is extremely important in all forms of communication, and is the only way to have a complete understanding. Next is Cocoon, her third tip. This tip is for improving concentration, therefore allowing for concentration. It is a mental strategy to visualize a “cocoon” around the conversation to help with outside distraction. This is a communication

In the book of “Why dont we listen better?” by James C. Peterson, he provides the readers with a strategic understanding of listening and how executing the skill can significantly impact your social life. While reading this book, I noticed a lot of repetition stated by Mr. Peterson, a method in which I found to be very interesting and helpful. Alongside of repetition, he also introduced various methods used to effectively communicate with each other separated into five sections. Part One: Options in Communicating, Part Two: The Talker-Listener Process, Part Three: The Listening Techniques, Part Four: Using the TLC in groups, and Part Five: Concluding Philosophy.

In no way it can ignore the card that comes with the book which he has called the Talker, Listener card (TLC) that somehow “…facilitates a good talking-turns system in communication.” (Petersen, 2007, p. 8) This not only makes the communication being more successful, but on the other hand leads to understand much better the complex process of listening, and meeting each of their goals.

A vital aspect of interpersonal communication is the style in which one listens. While every individual possesses their own preferred method of listening in communication, it can be enlightening to analyze our own strengths and weaknesses so as to maximize effectual communication. Within the confines of four main listening style categories, I have chosen those which best describe my own personal listening style.

Listening plays an important role in communication as it is said that, of the total time spent on communicating, listening takes up 40-50%; speaking, 25-30%; reading, 11-16%; and writing, about 9% (Mendelsohn, 1994).

This paper explores multiple studies on the many listening barriers in communication. Specifically, this paper focuses on a study done about the frequent listening barriers and how they can affect listening effectiveness. In addition, It discuses the many individual listening barriers. It explores six major listening factors that come from the multiple listening barriers. The main study this paper revolves around is conducted by Steven Golen (1990), conducted with university students and their opinions of frequent barriers to effective listening. The study explores the most frequently encountered listening barriers in communication.

“From negotiating for a promotion to resolving a conflict with a spouse, good communication skills can greatly improve life, while weak communication skills can make everyday interactions frustrating and tense. Interpersonal communication encompasses a number of communication styles; there

Developing better communication skills is more than talking to someone to get a point across. Listening and understanding the key components of the conversation is a part of having communication skills. By listening, issues would be processed better which would help establish a common ground between the people that are having a conversation.