Chapter 6: Listening

Attending

The second step in the listening process when stimuli are perceived and focused on

Consistency

A message is free of internal contradiction and is in harmony with information known to be true

Unconditional Positive Regard

An element of "person-centeredness" involving regarding the other as a separate person of intrinsic worth and value, a human being and not just a "human doing"

Verifiability

An indication that the material being provided can be confirmed by other sources or means

Semantic Diversion

An obstacle to listening that occurs when people are distracted by words or phrases used in a message through negative response or unfamiliarity

Message Complexity

An obstacle to listening that occurs when people find a message so complex or confusing that they stop listening

Factual Diversion

An obstacle to listening that occurs when so much emphasis is placed on attending to every detail of a message that the main point becomes lost

Source Distraction

An obstacle to listening that results from auditory and visual characteristics of the message source

Environmental Distraction

An obstacle to listening that results from the physical location where listening takes place and competing sources

Selective Listening

An obstacle to listening when people focus on the points of a message that correspond with their views and interests and pay less attention to those that do not

Critical reading and active listening share some characteristics and benefits. What is their primary difference?

Critical reading includes written text, while active listening typically does not.

Engaged listening is another term for active listening.

False

Wandering thoughts are caused by lack of interest in the topic and not by the effect on the listener's comprehension.

False

______ is a communication tool that is often taken for granted, which is surprising because people spend almost 12 hours per day doing this.

Listening

Engaged Listening

Making a personal relational connection with the source of a message that results from the source and the receiver actively working together to create shared meaning and understanding

Reflecting

Summarizing what another person has said to convey understanding of the message

Plausibility

The extent to which a message seems legitimate

Responding

The final step in the listening process that entails reacting to the message of another person

Critical Listening

The process of analyzing and evaluating the accuracy, legitimacy, and value of messages

Interpreting

The third step in the listening process when meaning is assigned to sounds and symbolic activity

An extended pause is an example of a source distraction.

True

Hearing a racial slur could distract you, causing semantic diversion.

True

Reflecting is sometimes referred to as paraphrasing.

True

To be an effective listener you also must be ______ in hearing, or someone who pays attention to the speaker and is not easily affected by distractions.

active

When a speaker's message becomes too ______, he or she risks losing the attention of the audience.

complex

Because Karen's version of how the school mascot suddenly disappeared didn't make sense to Audrey, the ______ of Karen's message was questionable.

consistency

If your evaluation of a message is that it is ______, then it aligns with what you know to be true and there are no internal contradictions.

consistent

Sylvia believes that, as a mother, bullying in school should not be tolerated. Listeners who are active but ______ may miss Sylvia's reference to her relationship with her children.

disengaged

Michael seems to hear nothing but his own rhetoric when he is giving a persuasive speech. He is practicing ______.

egocentric listening

Alicia missed the most important point of her boss' presentation at a recent meeting. She should have practiced ______ listening and made a relational connection to the content of the presentation.

engaged

Due to ______, a person with a great deal of knowledge and experience may not pay full attention when someone else is speaking.

experiential superiority

The difference between hearing and listening is ______.

listening is active, and hearing is passive

Electronic devices, including iPads and cell phones, may pose ______ distractions that make it difficult to give full attention to the message being communicated.

medium

When Lindsey paid attention to the person who was speaking in the auditorium, she was employing one of the ______ of listening.

objectives

Content (Representational) Listening

obstacle to listening when people focus on the content level of meaning, or literal meaning, rather than the social or relational level of meaning

Past Experience With The Source

obstacle to listening when previous encounters with a person lead people to dismiss or fail to critically examine a message because the person has generally been right (or wrong) in the past

Relational Listening

recognizing, understanding, and addressing the interconnection of relationships and communication during the listening process

While being an active listener is important, it is also essential that a ______ connection is established to truly be an effective listener.

relational

Your reaction to the communication of another person is referred to as ______.

responding

Receiving

the initial step in the listening process where hearing and listening connect