Listening in Context

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Chances are, you’ve recognized bits of yourself or your friends scattered throughout this chapter. We have all, at one time or another, felt defensive, nervous, bored, or lazy and found that we were less effective listeners because of it. But you probably don’t feel that way all the time. You might find yourself to be a great listener in certain situations and weak in others. That’s because, as with every other part of communication, our listening skills and abilities are affected by context (Bommelje, Houston, & Smither, 2003). In this section, we examine the ways in which the context of communication influences listening.