The Importance Of Listening And Recommend Best Practices

Selective listening also occurs when we reject commutation that makes us uneasy. For instance, smokers may selectively not listen to radio report on the dangers of smoking in general (wood,154). We may also screen out communication that is critical of us. For instance, you may not take in a friend’s comment that you are judgmental; you may selective tune out your friend/relationship partner observation that you be selfish (wood, 154). We all have subjects that bore us or disturb us, yet it’s unwise to listen selectively when doing that could deprive us of information or nights that could be valuable (wood,154).

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

Being a leader is not considered a job or position. Becoming a leader is not a talent, job or position. Although, leadership can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. In today’s society, “the kind of leadership necessary to move social movements forward is very different from the type of leadership required in a military setting, especially on the battlefield. A more sharpened focus on leadership processes versus individual leader traits and behaviors deepens our understanding of the complexities and interactive nature of leadership” (Komives, Lucas and McMahon 2013, 46). My goal is to understand how to face the complexities in life as a leader to communities, universities, organizations, the workplace and the world. As a leader,

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

Is a leader as defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, merely one who leads - synonymous with a boss? Or something more? I believe that a leader is much more than that and can be defined in any number of ways. In attempting to define a leader personally, I will use both myself and others as examples.

Without deep listening it becomes easier to misunderstand and be misunderstood, which prohibits the effective exchange of information. The consequences of this can be astronomical. The adverse effects misunderstanding has can be easily seen in businesses and corporations. For example, a slight confusion between the manager and receptionist could cause the wrong supplies to be ordered, potentially costing the company hundreds or even thousands of dollars (Bobinski). It is through deep listening that these types of problems could be avoided. However, as Generation Z lost the ability to listen it has lost the ability to exchange information, which in turn has led to an increase in misunderstandings and

Superficial listeners are often judging, daydreaming, or rehersing their response this is essentially hearing, not listening. The listener is tuning in and out thinking little of the talker, and mainly listening for a chance to jump in and take over the conversation. People who listen at this level are pretending to listen and are often quiet and passive.

People tend to process incoming information quicker than its output by the speaker causing them to quickly jump to conclusions, evaluate, or predict what will be said next. "Most individuals speak at the rate of 175 to 200 words per minute. However, research suggests that we are very capable of listening and processing words at the rate of 6000 to 1,000 words per minute....This unused brain power can be a barrier to effective listening, causing the auditor to miss or misinterpret what others are saying."(Lewis 2003). Listeners are often side tracked when listening, whether it be internal or external distractions. People have a habit of only listening to what they want to hear instead of what is actually being said.

Listening is more complex, and it encourages one to analyze and think about an idea, rather than to simply accept it (or “hear” it). Hearing is a skill that is beneficial for every aspect of life. As long as we have our ability to hear, we will always perceive different sounds, music, and voices. Listening, however, is beneficial to us in specific instances. It is important for us to attain good listening skills in education, the work force, and in our relationships with others in order to succeed. Good listening in education will bring about confident participation in class discussions; good listening in the workplace will lead to cooperation and good teamwork among colleagues; good listening in relationships is healthy and positive, for it is important to hear what an individual has to say in order to know how they feel.

Active listening is an attentive and interactive form of listening. One of the primary objectives of active listening is establishing and achieving empathy among all parties engaged in communication together. The words a person uses during communication are important, yet active listening includes listening to a person's words as well as interpreting and intuiting what a person feels and thinks. Active listening is a highly engaging activity. Active listening requires the person doing the listening to have a very keen awareness of all aspects of the communication. Active listening then is a sensory activity that challenges the listener to see, hear, sense, perceive, understand, feel, empathize, and reciprocate.

The word ‘leadership’ often times triggers a preconceived image of an ideal leader—typically accompanied by the aura that the effective leader should be at the top of the hierarchy, ready to produce the solutions to complex problems. However, this is not true of leadership, given that effective leadership is not achieved by position but rather through style and situational awareness. Examining leadership requires the consideration of the catalysts for different types of leaders. Popular leader development theories tend to focus on the natural servitude of the leader, his or her capability to manage, and leader behavior.

Before Golen’s study, no studies determined factors of barriers to effective listening, but many studies showed factors or groups of similar listening behaviors. A study of 127 college students, done by Barker, Watson, and Kibler (1984) found that delivery, credibility, speaker’s voice, interestingness, understandability, and clarity were used to determine speaker effectiveness by listeners.

For decade’s individuals, companies, and organizations have spent an unprecedented amount of money on researching, molding, modeling and working to define what a leader is and what characteristics make successful leaders. Despite all the research, there is not a quick answer or even full agreement as to what makes an individual an effective leader. The definition of a leader is “someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority.” (Robbins, Decenzo, Coulter, 2015. P.370)

Better listening leads to better recollection of important info this results in fewer mistakes. Thus, attention to good listening technique is important when complex issues are involved.