Chapter 4: Listening and Responding
Chapter Context
This chapter discusses how hearing and listening are different processes, strategies for
turning off competing messages, how to listen with your eyes, strategies to help you
understand both major ideas and details, and how to effectively respond to others using
verbal and nonverbal messages.
Outcome-based Outline
Outcome
Learning Objectives
Critical Thinking
4.5 Review the different ways
of effective responses
Communication
4.1 Describe listening
problems and their possible
solutions
4.2 Describe different ways
of responding effectively to
others
Knowledge of Discipline
4.3 Describe the five stages
of active listening
4.4 Express the importance
of listening skills
Discussion Question Bank
This discussion question bank provides a listing of discussion questions (1-2 per module),
which are included for in-class use.
Module
Discussion Question(s)
4.1 Hearing and Listening
1. Describe how hearing and listening are different
processes. Discuss the various stages involved in
each.
2. What skills should people develop so they can
become effective listeners? Describe various
listening problems and their possible solutions.
4.2 Turning off Competing
Messages
1. Explain the prevalence of competing messages at
the workplace. Discuss the different strategies
that can help you stop and turn off competing
messages.
2. Evaluate the importance of the social
decentering process. Why is it difficult to achieve
in a fast-paced and deadline-driven
environment?
4.3 Listening with your Eyes
1. Explain why it is important to listen with your
eyes. Give a real-life example of when you
needed eye contact to effectively communicate
with someone.
2. Have you ever been talking with someone on the
phone or been texting with someone and then
felt you needed to meet with that person face to
face instead? Why did you feel this way? What
should you do in this situation?
4.4 Listening to Understand
both Major Ideas and Details
1. Discuss various strategies that help people learn
both major ideas and details while interacting
with someone. Evaluate the importance of each
strategy.
2. Differentiate between elaboration and mental
processing strategies. Which type of listening
strategy best enhances the listening process?
Why?
4.5 Responding Effectively
1. Examine the various purposes that a thoughtful
response serves. Explain about effective verbal
and nonverbal messages that constitute a
thoughtful response.
2. Describe empathic responses. Why is it
important to use these at the workplace?
Research Assignments
The following research assignments pertain to the main topics and/or themes of the chapter.
Please respond by writing a paper consisting of 1,000-1,500 words.
Responding Effectively at the Workplace
Write a report analyzing the importance of effectively responding to others at the
workplace. Furthermore, examine the use of verbal, nonverbal, and empathic messages
Experiential Activity
The Eyes Have It
Goal
Time of
exercise Forty
minutes
Materials
Stop
Procedure
1. Break the class into dyads. Have them discuss a topic such as school, a television
show, sports, fashion.
3. Second five minutes no eye contact at all. Continue the same conversation Stop.
5. Fourth five minutes, resume natural eye contact.
Discussion
Which conversation was most difficult to
participate in? Which was the easiest?
Did staring at each other make it more difficult to resume a normal level of eye
contact and the conversation?
What are the norms for eye contact? How much, how long should eye contact be held in a
casual
conversation?