Table of Contents
How Do The General Gender Listening Differences Are Described In The Readings?
There are differences in listening between men and women with women taking into consideration other aspects of the environment for other important messages. Due to the emotional aspects of women, they tend to focus on the emotional aspect of any message (Global Listening Centre, 2018). This is different for men who neglect the emotional aspect of any message. Men focus on messages, which are related to their current tasks and neglect other unnecessary information. This is because men process information with their left part of their brain, which is not attributed to process emotional information (Global Listening Centre, 2018). Women on the other hand are open-oriented listeners who focus on different aspects of a particular message. This is true compared to the listening behavior of women and men that I know where men are reluctant to engage in emotional messages with women focusing more on this aspect. Women are also participative listeners with men preferring to listen silently ignoring more clarification on information (Global Listening Centre, 2018).
What Effect Do Your Listening Behaviors Have On Your Interactions?
My listening behaviors impact my interactions in different aspects which include the communication process with other individuals. Effective communication is a two way process, which involves listening and speaking to pass information between individuals (Fedesco, 2015). Without proper listening skills, this process will be negatively affected which will also impact interactions with other individuals. Effective listening behaviors will lead to an improved understanding of the message being passed across which may prevent any conflicts which at arise due to different misunderstanding (Fedesco, 2015). Focusing on other aspects of any message has enabled me to clearly understand the purpose of any message avoiding any conflicts, which may arise. This has also helped me in understanding different perspective of individuals, which helps me in making appropriate judgments, which will be beneficial to me as well as to the other individual (Fedesco, 2015).
How Can We Improve Our Listening Skills?
Due to the importance of listening skills, it is important for individuals to improve their listening skills, which will also improve their communication with other individuals (Devito, 2017). There are different ways in which individuals can improve their listening skills, which include focusing and concentrating on the speaker to avoid any distractions, which may affect the listening process (Devito, 2017). Distractions may negatively impact the speaker who may feel disrespected affecting the communication process. Showing interest during a conversation is important in motivating and encouraging the speaker. This can be achieved by paying attention, which can be shown by using an appropriate tone and good body language (Devito, 2017). Active listening which involves focusing on what the speaker is saying instead of focusing on what response to give is also important in helping listeners to understanding the perspective of the speaker. This will also help the listener to give appropriate feedback to the speaker (Devito, 2017).
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References
- Devito, J. A. (2017). Essentials of Human Communication (9th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
- Fedesco, H. (2015) The Impact of (In)effective Listening on Interpersonal Interactions, International Journal of Listening, 29(2), 103-106.
- Global Listening Centre. (2018). Listening Transforms Lives. Sex Differences in Listening. Retrieved from http://www.globallisteningcentre.org/sex-differences-in-listening/
