Essay Questions

Question

1. How does adapting your listening style improve active listening?
[Model Answer] Active listening requires flexibility and determining the primary purpose for listening at any given moment. Most people use only one listening style in every listening situation they encounter. Since different listening styles are judged as inappropriate for certain situations, it’s important to match the listening style that you employ with the purpose of your listening. The answer can be found on page 123.

Question

2. Explain the relationship between gender and listening styles.
[Model Answer] Listening styles are habitual patterns of listening behaviors that reflect attitudes, beliefs, and predispositions about the listening process. Women tend to use people- and content-oriented listening styles, and in general take a relational approach to listening. Men, on the other hand, tend to use time- and action-oriented styles and take a task-oriented approach to listening. The answer can be found on page 124.

Question

3. Describe the five steps of the listening process.
[Model Answer] Listening involves a series of interrelated steps: (1) receiving, or hearing and seeing, the communications of others; (2) attending to the information in an active and alert manner; (3) understanding the meaning of the communication; (4) responding constructively to the communication using feedback and back-channel cues; and (5) recalling, or remembering, the communication. The answer can be found on page 113.

Question

4. Explain the concept of incompetent listening and provide five examples of ways in which incompetent listening hinders effective interpersonal communication.
[Model Answer] Incompetent listening occurs when we fail to identify the right purpose for listening or neglect to use the appropriate listening style. Selective listening refers to receiving only the most salient pieces of information during the communication process and dismissing the rest of the information. Eavesdropping occurs when we intentionally listen in on another person’s private communication. Pseudo-listening occurs when we pretend we’re paying attention to our communication partner even though we’re really not. Aggressive listening involves attending to another’s communication with the sole purpose of disparaging the communication. (People who listen aggressively online are called provocateurs.) Finally, narcissistic listening is the practice of continually reflecting a conversation back on oneself and behaving badly when it goes another way. The answer can be found on pages 125 - 128.