Page 1
1.
Briefly describe the differences between hearing and listening.
2.
List the three components of the listening process.
3.
A competent listener will listen for the ___________________, or the things that people
only hint at instead of communicating explicitly.
4.
Define critical thinking.
5.
Briefly describe a situation in which you were required to engage in empathic listening.
6.
What does it mean to paraphrase as a listening behavior?
7.
Provide an example of an environmental factor that you consider a listening barrier in
this classroom.
8.
Jean routinely reads her Real Communication textbook while also watching her favorite
sitcoms and communicating with her friends on Facebook. She believes she is good at
_____________, but what she doesn’t realize is that focusing her attention on so many
different things at once presents a listening barrier because her attention is finite.
9.
How does boredom affect our ability to listen effectively?
10.
List two examples of defensive listening behaviors.
11.
______________ is listening in order to control the communication interaction.
12.
Describe the difference between attacking and ambushing.
13.
Describe the five steps in the cognitive and behavioral components of the listening
process. Using a detailed narrative example, illustrate what a communicator would be
doing at each of the five stages.
Page 2
14.
Compare and contrast the four listening goals. In what types of contexts would each
style be particularly effective and appropriate?
15.
What are the goals of analytical, critical, and relational listening? What, specifically, can
a listener do to improve his or ability to meet each of these listening goals?
16.
Explain the concept of critical thinking. How does it relate to the listening process?
How does one go about thinking critically in the role of a listener?
17.
How does improving our listening competence benefit us academically, professionally,
and interpersonally?
18.
Describe the barriers to effective listening. What would you advise someone who is
challenged by any of these specific barriers to do in order to improve his or her listening
competence?
19.
What listening behaviors would you characterize as unethical? Synthesizing what you
know about ethics and the transactional nature of communication, explain why these
behaviors would be characterized as unethical and not merely ineffective.
20.
How does gender influence listening behaviors? Synthesizing what you have learned
about gender in this and other chapters of the book, what do you think is at the root of
these differences?
21.
In what ways do people from different cultures listen differently? Considering what you
have learned about high-context cultures and low-context cultures in Chapter 6, what
connections can you infer about the cultural differences between verbal and nonverbal
behavior and listening behaviors?
22.
How does listening differ in mediated contexts versus face-to-face interactions?
Synthesizing what you learned about how to listen well to accomplish each of the four
listening goals, as well as how to overcome various listening barriers, what advice
would you give to someone who wants to improve his or her listening ability when
talking on the phone or using other communication technology?
Page 3
23.
Briefly discuss the role of listening in the health care industry and the importance of
competent communication between health care professions and patients. What can
happen when a patient does not listen carefully to the health care provider or vice versa?
Page 4
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