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Nonverbal communication and listening
Strategies for effective listening
Interpersonal communication+quiz
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Recommended: Nonverbal communication and listening
In general, we tend to consider that interpersonal communication is simply the act of physically speaking to another person. However, communication is a transactional process which involves us both speaking and listening. In order to communicate successfully we need to know how to listen effectively. There are many steps involved in effective listening, but I will be focusing on the concept of responding. How we respond while we are the listeners is just as important in a conversation as when we are the speakers. If we fail to communicate correctly as the listener, the overall communication can be disrupted, or even terminated all together. In my example from the TV show “The Office,” improper responding from the listener in the conversation leads to the speaker receiving mixed signals and eventually ending the conversation altogether. How we utilize our nonverbal communication skills to …show more content…
One of the most crucial steps, in my opinion, is responding to the speaker. The book Interpersonal Communication Everyday Encounters describes the act of responding as “communicating attention and interest” (Wood, 2014, p.167). Responding should not happen only after the speaker has finished. Instead, we should be responding throughout the interaction. Responding while listening is often a utilization of nonverbal skills and can be anything from a head nod to vocalizing a phrase like “I understand” or “Go on.” You should also be aware of your posture, eye contact, and hand movements while participating in this active form of listening. In an example of poor responding while listening from the TV show “The Office,” Dwight, an office employee, is being taught by the women of the office how to sell their products to women. It is made clear early on that Dwight does not know how to respond correctly while listening in a conversation. The women of the office then try to teach Dwight how to listen more
In a group setting, these techniques can be applied by using your posture in your seat to show the speaker that you are engaged and actively listening. In a small group setting, it may be possible to interject with the speaker. If so, you can take the opportunity to paraphrase what he or she may be saying to ensure that you are on the same page. In a larger group setting, it may be necessary to use paraphrasing and probing at the same time, when the opportunity is presented to asks
In every society nonverbal communication is one of the most powerful tools that a person can use to interpret the message that is being delivered. Even though verbal communication is fairly straightforward, nonverbal communication allows others to sense the true emotions of the person that is expressing them. For example even though a person may say that they are not irritated, their usage of voice may display otherwise. Nonverbal communication not only reveals hidden messages, but it also complements, substitutes, and exaggerates verbal communication.
A vital aspect of interpersonal communication is the style in which one listens. While every individual possesses their own preferred method of listening in communication, it can be enlightening to analyze our own strengths and weaknesses so as to maximize effectual communication. Within the confines of four main listening style categories, I have chosen those which best describe my own personal listening style.
Communication in all relationship can be successful when our listener get the message that we want to convey and it is not so much about what we want to say. Listening is a unique process because it involves psychological and voluntary process that goes beyond simply reacting to sounds. It includes understanding, analyzing, evaluating, and responding. As a human, we will use different listening styles, depending on our preferences and purposes. Listening styles refer to the different ways people listen and analyze the content of a conversation. Usually, these styles either have to do with the way listeners choose to receive the message or with how they analyze the message. Listening is very important because we listen in order to establish and communicate power. There are few types of listening that can be used in order to communicate effectively.
This stage is the foundation of effective listening where listeners determine the most important information from the multitude of data received (Hamilton, 2008). This is because it is impossible to take in all the information received from their clients. As we all know human minds have the ability to listen four times faster than a person can talk regardless of the challenge to concentrate on hearing what is said rather than numerous other things going on in lives at any given situation. Some of the tips that can be applied in this stage is look directly at the person talking, start reading the body language and listen for tone and intonation. A very good example given by Arthur K. Robertson (1994), in his book ‘Listen for success’
Interpersonal communication is one of the significant skills while communicating with other individuals. It normally covers an extensive area and includes both verbal and non-verbal communication. Body language and facial expression may affect the accurateness of the message transmission directly. Interpersonal communication skills normally ensure that the message is sent and received correctly without any alteration thus improving the communication efficiency. Learning diverse aspects of interpersonal communication has greatly aided me in better understanding of what it consists. I am capable of applying the knowledge gained from this course to my personal experiences. This paper reflects on my personal experience in learning interpersonal communication.
Listening and understanding what others communicate to us is the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness. If you listen well, you will understand the meaning of the message. If you are unfocused, you will not know most of what the other person is saying. However, there is a range of listening skills that can be learned to develop the communication effectiveness. Firstly, encouraging listening points to the listener that is willing to do more than listen. Usually it provides feedback that supports speakers to say more. Fur...
The ability to listen effectively significantly impacts all relationships, be it professional, personal or social. The prevailing issue with effective listening, however, is two-fold, in not truly understanding the meaning of listening and not possessing the tools required to be an effective listener. The skill of listening, according to Dr. Robert Bolton (1979), extends beyond simply hearing sound as a physiological sensory process but instead requires and involves interpreting and understanding the sensory experience or what is being heard (p 32). It also is an active experience wherein the listener is fully engaged and has absorbed the information of the speaker while showing interest and providing feedback, all while demonstrating that they have heard and understand the message. It is a fair assertion that most people in varying relationships and environments listen in what is considered passive capacity, or only digest and process bits and pieces of the speaker’s message.
As The Gift of Listening describes, “Opening one’s heart and listening at a deep level does not come easily and is rarely achieved simply by life experience” (Browning & Waite, 2010, p. 151) There are different aspects to being a good listener that are often difficult to achieve and lead to poor listening. One significant challenge to listening is the attention needed in order to actively listen to another person. Proper listening does not occur due to a passive process but instead it takes deliberate action and thought towards what a person in saying. Like previously stated, actively listening is achieved by sitting in a comfortable and open way and maintaining good eye contact. When a person does not exhibit these techniques good listening often does not occur. The challenge of utilizing different techniques in order to listen to others in a better way often gets blocked by barriers that make active listening unable to occur. In our society today one major barrier to listening is technology. In a casual setting, proper listening often doesn’t occur due to someone being tied to their cell phone. The millennial generation is often guilty of passively listening to others due to the mobile technology that is being used today. Many conversations occur without eye contact or full focus on what the other has to say and instead is spent staring at a
Interpersonal communication is very important in everyday life. It helps us build a relationship with another, also it helps us to satisfy our physical needs, identity needs, social needs and practical goals. Communication lets people exchange their feeling and information through verbal and non-verbal communication through social media or face to face communication. Communication can be effective and ineffective depend on the individual communication skills. The ways we communicate with another can be influenced by family, friends, significant other also within the culture and region where we stay. Each person has a different set of rule to communicate with another, so this is how miscommunication happen. There are some expectation and way
Listening is a big part of communicating well with others. Take time to carefully listen to what others are saying, and also take time to observe their nonverbal communications. A good listener does not interrupt the person while their talking. they make eye contact with the person speaking. they provide the speaker with their full attention, avoid unnecessary distractions, and try to understand the other persons point of view by being empathetic.
One of the main aspects in communicating is listening. An effective listener is one who, not only comprehends how the speaker feels but, also understands what they are stating. Building a strong connection between the speaker and the listener is one of the first steps to become a good listener. By building this connection speakers should first be in an environment with open minded listeners, it makes them feel more comfortable to state their opinions, feelings and ideas. Listeners should avoid being judgmental. The individual does not have to agree with the ideas, values or opinions of the speaker; however, to fully understand them, one must put aside their criticism. Speakers will believe that they can trust the listeners with their information when they know that they will not be judged. Miscommunication happens frequently, listene...
To be effective listeners, the listening process should be incorporated into our lives. We should be attentive to what people say, clarify what the speaker is trying to come across, and respond in a way the speaker can understand what we are saying. I think I was aware that I needed some improvement in certain areas of this process but I feel as everything is slowly changing. In the future, I’m going try not to interrupt people, get distracted, tune out, and try to get a bigger picture of what the person is telling me. If good listening habits are applied in our day-to-day life, we can easily communicate with anyone and everyone.
“DA-DA!” Who would have known that a simple word like that could be so powerful and strong enough to make a grown man like myself cry. In every job setting, a great way to represent ourselves is through communication. Communication is stemmed from the act of speech, in which plays a huge role, not only at a workplace but in reality as well. Speech is simply a higher form of communication between two or more people. Great speech practices may enhance a person’s opportunity of moving up within the company he or she works for, as well as venturing off to higher positions in a professional field. Having the ability to speak well is closely related to the ability to listen well. Speaking well in a professional setting can cause one to stand out over others more and help interpret a great first impression of who that person is.
A skill, according the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, is a learned power of doing something competently: a developed aptitude or ability. The skill of listening is a skill that I believe everyone should have but most people lack. Many people do not realize that listening is not merely the act of hearing a sound but of paying close attention to what someone is saying and trying to understand the message that they are trying to relate to you. Most times people say they are listening when in all actuality they are merely hearing you but not even attempting to understand what is being spoken of. The advantages of being a good listener are vast. This skill can positively affect many parts of our everyday life and interaction with people. Nevertheless, it is a skilled that is overlooked in today’s unmindful society. The reason I believe that listening is of such importance is because nowadays people have developed the mentality of “every man for himself.” People are not concerned about their fellows anymore. We are only concerned about our own issues and problems. Listening is a skill that is acquired throughout a lifetime. It is an important virtue when it comes to communication.People should be taught from childhood the importance of learning how to listen. If we realized how much we would benefit from being good listeners, I believe that things would change. Lack of listening skills affects marriages, parents and children, teachers and students, employers and employees, foreign affairs, and the list goes on.