CHAPTER 8
LISTENING
Objectives
After studying the material in Chapter Eight of Looking Out/Looking In, you should understand:
1. Identify the situations in which you listen mindfully and those when you listen mindlessly, and then
evaluate the appropriateness of each style in a given situation.
2. Identify the circumstances in which you listen ineffectively, and the poor listening habits you use
in these circumstances.
3. Identify the response styles that you commonly use when listening to others.
4. Demonstrate a combination of listening styles you could use to respond effectively in a given
situation.
Notes on Class and Student Activities
1. “Listening Diary” (8.1 in Student Activities Manual) or “Self–Assessment: Your Listening Skills”
(MindTap Ch 8: Hearing versus Listening)
Objectives
Identify the situations in which you listen mindfully and those when you listen mindlessly
Evaluate the appropriateness of each mindful and mindless in a given situation.
Identify the circumstances in which you listen ineffectively and the poor listening habits you use in these
circumstances.
Instructions
Prior to class, direct students to complete “Listening Diary” (8.1 in Student Activities Manual) or “Self–
Assessment: Your Listening Skills” (MindTap Ch 8: Hearing versus Listening). In small group discussions
in class, review the questions below:
Discussion Questions
1. Based on your observations, what styles of effective listening do you use most often?
2. Based on your observations, what styles of ineffective listening do you use most often?
3. Overall, how might you might increase your listening effectiveness?
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2. Listening Breakdowns (MindTap Ch. 8: Elements in the Listening Process – Pause and Reflect)
Objective
To help students overcome common listening myths and understand the separate elements involved in
the listening process.
If students have a difficult time coming up with examples of how they failed at listening, let them start with
examples of how others have failed in listening to them. Then guide the students back into self-awareness.
Instructions
Assign the activity “Listening Breakdowns” (MindTap Ch. 8: Elements in the Listening Process – Pause
and Reflect)
as an individual activity. Lead a class discussion to compare answers and discuss the following questions:
Discussion Questions
1. Which instances were more frequently representative of you? Less? Explain.
2. Which elements in the process are more difficult? Explain.
3. Which parts of the listening process do you most need to improve? Why?
4. What is the importance of understanding and improving all parts of the listening process?
3.
Speaking and Listening with a “Talking Stick” (MindTap Ch. 8: Elements in the Listening Process – Pause
and Reflect)
Objective
To focus the student’s attention on the benefits of talking less and listening more.
To actively practice mindful listening skills.
Instructions
Explore the benefits of talking less and listening more by using a “talking stick.” This exercise is based on
the Native American tradition of “council.” Gather a group from your class and join in a circle in a quiet
room. Designate a particular object as the talking stick. (Almost any easily held object will do.) Participants
will then pass the object around the circle. The rules of the talking stick circle are precise. Each person may
speak only:
1. When holding the stick
2. For as long as he or she holds the stick
3. Without interruption from anyone else in the circle
When a member is through speaking, the stick passes to the left, and the speaker surrendering the stick must
wait until it has made its way around the circle before speaking again.
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Options
Encourage students to talk about anything of interest to them. What happened to them this morning may
seem as important as serious world events.
Discussion Questions
1. A valuable discussion can come from students discussing times they have not felt listened to, and in
turn, not listened themselves.
2. How did you find this communication experience different from your everyday experience?
3. What desirable parts of the talking stick circle do you think could be introduced into
everyday conversations?
4. Paraphrasing Practice
(8.3 in the Student Activities Manual and MindTap Ch 8: Types of Listening Responses)
Objective
Understand the process and appropriate use of paraphrasing.
Apply paraphrasing effectively in a given situation.
Instructions
Have students individually complete 8.3 in the Student Activities Manual. Additionally, the
Paraphrasing Practice Activity (MindTap Ch 8: Types of Listening Responses) can be completed in
class, in pairs or small groups.
Options
Try the fishbowl formation where two students have a conversation in the middle of the classroom,
with all others circled around as observers. Depending on the size of your class, you might also try
this—Do a class discussion on a current controversial topic. Everyone must have the chance to
paraphrase, but no one should be forced to contribute their opinion (there are usually no shortage of
people who want to share their opinion).
Discussion Questions
1. Describe what happened when you attempted to paraphrase what your speaker was saying?
2. Did you find that you gained more appreciation for the speaker’s point of view as a result of
active listening? Did you find that they gained more appreciation of your point of view?
3. How might your life change if you used paraphrasing at home? At work? With friends?
5. Empathic Listening (
MindTap Ch 8: Supporting – Concepts in Play Interactive Activity)
Objectives
To distinguish between sympathy vs. empathy
To understand and be able to identify the three dimensions of empathy: Perspective taking, Emotion,
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Concern
To understand and be able to identify empathic listening and response skills
Instructions
Have students individually complete “Empathic Listening” (MindTap Ch 8: Supporting – Concepts in Play
Interactive Activity) prior to class and use as a basis for class discussion, see questions below.
Concepts in Play feature animated characters in a variety of “real life” scenarios designed to illustrate
difficult concepts in a way that engages the student’s interest and imagination. We recommend that
instructor’s build on these scenarios through classroom role plays that include additional applications,
such as practicing empathic response skills.
Option
Have students also write a brief reflection on the difference between empathy and sympathy, with personal
examples.
Discussion Questions
1. How does empathy differ from sympathy?
2. Which is the more challenging response skill to use, empathy or sympathy? Why?
3. What elements are necessary for an effective empathic response?
6. What Would You Say? (MindTap Ch 8: Types of Listening Responses – Pause and Reflect)
Objectives
To give students practice with a variety of listening responses.
To demonstrate the frequent ineffectiveness of typical response styles.
Instructions
Have students individually complete “What Would You Say?” (MindTap Ch 8: Types of Listening
Responses – Pause and Reflect) prior to class and use as a basis for class discussion, see questions below.
Option
In a variation of the activity, assign one or two students each of the typical response styles, having them
react to another student who role-plays the problems listed in the activity.
Discussion Questions
1. In your opinion, which types of responses would lead to productive and unproductive outcomes?
2. Which type of listening response do you have a tendency to use most?
3. Which listening responses do you feel you need to improve, and why?
7. What Did You Say?
Objectives
To show students how listening barriers can interfere with information transfer.
To help students identify ways in which listening skills can improve information transfer.
Instructions
1. Bring in a picture from a magazine (preferably one with a lot of details).
2. Ask 5 students to volunteer. They will simply have to hear a description of the picture from one
classmate and pass it on to the next classmate. Only the first volunteer, however, will actually get
to see the picture.
3. Have four of the volunteers leave the classroom and give the picture to the first volunteer. Show
the rest of the class members the picture and tell them to observe what happens and try to pinpoint
where information gets distorted.
4. Bring volunteers back into the classroom one by one. The first volunteer describes everything she
can possibly see in the picture (while looking at it) in great detail. The second volunteer must listen
carefully but cannot ask questions or take notes. The second volunteer then describes what he heard
to the third volunteer; the third volunteer describes what she heard to the fourth volunteer, and so
on. No one is allowed to check what they heard, ask questions, or take notes.
5. In the end, have the fifth volunteer tell the class what he heard described to him. Then show the
class and all volunteers the picture.
Discussion Questions
1. What happened? Where did information get distorted along the way?
2. What details got left out and what details came all the way through to the last person?
3. Why did some of the information get changed? What barriers came into play?
4. Using advice from the text, build a list of effective listening suggestions that would help improve
the successful transmission of information from one person to another.
5. Brainstorm a list of real-life situations in which listening skills would be important to ensuring a
smooth transfer of this type of information (e.g., crime scene witness, nursing shift changes, etc.).
Options
Do the activity a second time with a different picture. However, this time, allow the volunteers to
employ all the listening skill suggestions made by the class (notes, questions, perception checks, etc.).
Analyze the quality of the information transfer and compare it to the first time.
Sample Quiz
1. There is no single “best” listening style to use in all situations.
2. A good listener will always state her own judgment of the situation so the other person knows where
she stands on the issue.
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3. You should do more paraphrasing than any other type of listening.
4. According to the text, the most helpful way of responding to a problem is to offer good, specific
advice.
5. Speaking is an active process; listening is a passive activity.
6. Your roommate gives the appearance of listening to you, but you can tell from her responses that her
mind is elsewhere. You could call her listening style in this instance
a. stage hogging.
b. insulated listening.
c. pseudolistening.
d. defensive listening.
e. ambushing.
7. Which of the following is the best helping paraphrase response to the following statements? “I can’t
stand that class! The lectures are a waste of time, and the tests are full of nitpicking questions. I’m
not learning anything.”
a. “Sounds like you’re fed up with the class.”
b. “Sounds like you’re thinking about dropping the class.”
c. “Sounds like the class has nit–picking tests and is a waste of time.”
d. “Sounds like you resent spending so much time on information you don’t consider useful.”
e. “Sounds like you’re fed up with school.”
8. “I think that the reason you’re so confused is that you’re trying to make everyone else happy and
forgetting your own happiness.” This statement is what type of listening response?
a. supporting
b. advising
c. questioning
d. paraphrasing
e. analyzing
9. “From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’re mad at your boss for expecting you to drop your
personal plans whenever he wants you to work. Is that right?” This statement is what type of
response?
a. supporting
b. judging
c. questioning
d. paraphrasing
e. analyzing
10. “Your mother drives you nuts? Let me tell you about mine!” is an example of what type of
ineffective listening?
a. insensitive listening
b. stage-hogging
c. selective listening
d. insulated listening
e. ambushing
INSTRUCTIONS for questions 11–15: Match each statement with the helping listening style it characterizes.
a. paraphrasing
b. judging
c. supporting
d. advising
e. analyzing
11. “That’s a terrible idea!”
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12. “You ought to give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
13. “He’s doing that because he doesn’t think you’ll care.”
14. “I think you’re doing a terrific job.”
15. “So you’re upset because Chase didn’t pay you back?”
16. Describe the response style(s) you use most often when helping others. How successful are these
styles? What makes them successful or unsuccessful? What might you do to increase your
effectiveness as a helpful listener?
Answer: will vary Type: E Types of Listening Responses Evaluation
17. In your own words, describe what paraphrasing is and how it is used to help others solve their
problems. Use real or hypothetical examples and concrete language to explain and illustrate your
answer.
Answer: will vary Type: E Types of Listening Responses Evaluation
18. Recount an interpersonal situation in which you failed to listen effectively. Describe the factors
which caused you to listen poorly. What could you have done to change those factors?
Answer: will vary Type: E The Challenge of Listening Evaluation
19. A Chinese Proverb says, “To be heard, there are times you must be silent.” Thoughtfully explain
what this means to you, incorporating information from your text on listening.
Answer: will vary Type: E The Challenge of Listening Synthesis
20. Give examples of ways in which our growing use of technology affects listening effectiveness.
Answer: will vary Type: E The Challenge of Listening Comprehension