Chapter 5 Glossary
action-oriented listeners: (p. 160) Those who prefer to receive brief, to-the-point, accurate
information for decision making—for example, a supervisor who requires brief summaries from
department heads and does not want to bat around details in long meetings.
aggressive listening: (p. 167) Listening in order to attack or collect information to use against
the speaker, such as when a father encourages his son to describe his ambitions just to ridicule
the son’s goals. (Also known as ambushing.)
attending: (p. 149) The second stage of the listening process in which a listener devotes
attention to received information. For example, you may hear a radio but attend only when a
favorite song comes on.
back-channel cues: (p. 153) Nonverbal or verbal responses that signal you’ve paid attention to
and understood specific comments—for example, saying, “Okay, got it” after someone details
extensive driving directions.
bizarreness effect: (p. 157) The finding that we remember unusual or odd information more
readily than commonplace information.
content-oriented listeners: (p. 161) Those who prefer to be intellectually challenged by
