Journal Reflection 2-Challenging Assumptions Chapter 3
I believe it can be assumed that relaxation exercises are helpful for the majority of people and that they can be considered “the way to go” to help reduce listener apprehension. The textbook describes four general areas of reducing listener anxiety with specific techniques listed in subcategories. These four areas are: muscle relaxation, imagery and fantasy, mental rehearsal, and deep breathing. Although listener apprehension can be detrimental, I surmise that there still has to be a certain amount of stress on the listener, so that effective listening can occur. If one becomes too relaxed, they may lose focus on the actual listening task at hand. Listener apprehension can have a negative impact on both communication and concentration. The textbook states that listener apprehension is “frequently created by fear of misinterpreting, inadequately processing, or not being able to adjust psychologically to what you hear” (Brownell 83).
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The text suggests to “relax your muscles, one group at a time” and states that “as your muscles relax, you will realize that you were experiencing significant muscle stress as normal” (Brownell 83). I perceive that this is one of the better methods suggested. If I am stressed about anything, I can feel my chest and back muscles begin to tighten. I remember using the muscle relaxation method in my Anatomy and Physiology class, especially in the days leading up to an exam. During breaks in each lecture, I would relax my muscles one group at a time, since they would be so tense after listening to the material for an hour. Muscle tension makes it difficult to concentrate since it can be extremely painful and it makes one’s posture awkward. I agree with the textbook that it is simple to just accept muscle tension as normal. Afterward, I found that it was easier for me to focus on and understand the
Another type of listening barrier that I have is differing speech rate and thought rate. My brain is fast at processing words and sometimes in moments I get bored in the conversation and I begin to daydream. This happened recently with a conversation with one of my classmates. I got so lost in a daydream that I did not know how to respond. Being a better listener takes time and dedication. Something that I learned from the textbook is that during a conversation summarizes their words sporadically throughout the conversation; it will help me to be focused in
Amie’s listening style is primarily relational, while mine is often analytical. During these visits, I noticed that we use both passive and active listening. During one meeting, I noticed that she had numerous activities going on at her home. At the same time, I needed her undivided attention to vent about things weighing on my mind, but I noticed she seemed to be on autopilot; she could hear my words, but she was not taking the time to evaluate and process the information to formulate an appropriate response. This seems to be a common occurrence for us, as one of us usually tends to a child’s needs during our visits. Even with the extended pauses and choppy conversation, I was able to have a clear understanding of her messages by regularly asking clarifying questions; however, I noticed when the level of external noise is high, she has problems concentrating on sending and receiving messages. Our overall level of effective listening is high when we are mentally and physically free to attend without the constant
While I was at bonds Alternative program the best technique I learned was belly breathing. Belly breathing is to help you calm down. What you do is find a good and quiet spot, sit in a chair, put your heads towards your stomach towards your back, breath in for four seconds,
Relaxation therapy is a method used by many psychologists to help patients relax during periods of high anxiety such as a panic attack or even during periods of stress or pain. Relaxation exercises help keep the physical symptoms of anxiety under control and in turn help the individual feel more in control, and think more clearly.
Listener Apprehension-term for the anxiety we feel about listening that interferes with our ability to be effective listeners.
1. Become a Good Listener: We’ve all been told to be a good listener, and assume that “listening” requires a response. But we never stop to think that the speaker may wish to talk
...key component that fights off the speaking anxiety villain, confidence. By focusing on these three components, and mastering the details within, a speaker will be so prepared and so confident that COMMUNICATION ANXIETY will no longer be a hindering factor.
Relaxation lowers blood pressure, calms the nervous system, releases tension in muscles, enhances immune system function, and reverses the damage done by negative stress. For relaxation to work its magic on the body, both the body and mind need to be still, and calm. As left side activity of the brain decreases, the intuitive, creative, right side of the brain becomes more active. We need to quiet the rational side and draw on our inner-wisdom, capacity for empathy, ability to love, and faith that you would be given answers.
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
Taking deep breathes when you are feeling depressed or feeling your emotions getting the best of you helps calm your nerves. When you take deep breathes it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system in your body. It is the quickest and easiest way to calm you down. Exercising helps calm your nerves also when you are feeling stressed. Aerobic exercise like jogging will provide mental benefits in areas from stress, anxiety, and self-
In applying the skills to a case scenario, I found it difficult to focus and use my active listening skills. I do know that in an ideal situation, I will more than likely be one on one with my client and will generally conduct the interview in a quieter atmosphere, allowing me to focus better on what the client discloses. However, with continuous practice I believe I will be able to overcome becoming distracted by background noises.
Relaxing before a speech is very important, it calms the nerves and helps you prepare for the speech instead of being completely nervous and messing up during the speech. Having this be said, relaxing is a very important thing for me to do before I go up and do a presentation. If I were to not relax and calm myself before my speech, like doing breathing exercises, I would overthink everything and mess up my whole speech because of my nervousness. For the future, if there ever comes a time that I need to present for any certain reason, I will be sure to relax and keep calm before a presentation.
In all aspects in life effective listening plays an important role in our lives, both professionally and personally. As many of know from experience listening is never easy in fact it can be difficult to understand what is being said by the speaker. Because of laps in attention we tend to misunderstand some of the messages that are being relayed to us or disregard them altogether. Effective listening is important for receiving the correct feedback from those you’re speaking with and requires a focus that should be central to what is being said or what topic is being discussed.
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.
Then you need to start from the starting. Relaxation also known as stress management has these techniques or ways that can treat problems like stress, anxiety, exhaustion, tiredness and mood change. Relaxation is all about enjoying life as well treating the tired or worn out mind and body. Two major things that relaxation or relaxation techniques do for you are they teach you to live happy and energetic, also they add to your health.