M4A1: From Non-Listening to Listening Activity

Class Activity: From Non-Listening to Listening
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Class Activity: From Non-Listening To Listening
Communication involves the exchange of information between two or more people. The purpose of communication is often to pass information or receive feedback on an issue or a problem. Listening forms a crucial part of any communication process, but people hardly listen to speakers. Wood (2016) defines listening as a process of receiving, constructing meaning from the message, and providing feedback to the speaker.
In most cases, people adopt non-listening strategies when conversing with others. Non-listenings are strategies that are used deliberately or unknowingly by listeners in the conversation. Non-listeners use different types of non-listening strategies. After reviewing the types of non-listenings in chapter six of Wood’s book, I decided to focus on the three of these non-listenings that have affected me. My focus was on defensive listening, pseudo listening, and monopolizing type of non-listening. The purpose of this paper is to discuss hurdles, challenges, and successes I went through in the process of reducing these non-listenings.
One of the three non-listenings that I wanted to overcome is pseudo listening. Wood (2016) defines pseudo listening as a defensive mechanism of listening where the listener pretends to be listening to the speaker. I often use this strategy because I do not want to show people that their conversation is boring. In most cases, I try to node along and or asking questions, and sometimes I end up asking questions that are out of context and end up hurting the people that are in need of my attention. I decided to overcome pseudo listening by being mindful of speakers and paying close attention to every detail they said. I also decided that I will always maintain eye contact with speakers and node only when I have understood the message. In a case where the message is misunderstood, I decided that I would ask the speaker to clarify the message. Some of the huddles I went through were beyond my control.
In some cases, speakers were inaudible, and I struggled to get their message. I was also distracted by noise and ended up losing interest in the conversation. At times, I found it difficult listening to some people because their topic was boring. An example is when a friend came to me to explain that humans can use only ten percent of their brain.
Defensive listening is another non-listening that has ruined my relationship with many people. Defensive listening is where a person listens to disagree with the speaker (Wood, 2016). I have often found it difficult to listen to some people because I interpret their message or have developed an opinion towards them even before they can speak. They often confuse people comments for personal attacks. During one of the time I was carrying out this activity, I was walking down the lane with my friends looking out the window when a colleague said: "People with long hair irritate me…” I was about to respond, but then I realized that I had trimmed my hair a week ago. I realized that I have to develop self-confidence and a sense of security (Hartley, 1993). I am not a victim of attacks. The primary challenge...