How Can Your Personal Listening Style Impact Your Communication

Question: A co-worker has come to you, asking advice about how to approach the supervisor about a raise. How can you respond, utilizing the principles of effective responses?

Answer: Be descriptive, timely, brief, useful and empathetic.

Question: What is the definition of hearing?

Answer: the physiological process of decoding sounds

Question: A conversation that focused on the feelings and thoughts of the participants would be most appealing to a ___________________ listener.

Answer: people oriented

Question: Describe a situation in which you were hearing but not necessarily listening.

Answer: When you are in a class, where your instructor is talking, and you’re drawing a picture.

Question: Answering your phone is an example of ______________.

Answer: choosing a sound to focus on

Question: “Wait just a minute, let me turn down the stereo so I’m not distracted.” This is an example of __________.

Answer: making an effort to attend

Question: What is your listening style? Provide an example to support your assessment of your listening style.

Answer: Those who are people-oriented show a strong concern for others and their feelings. They are external in focus, getting their energy from others and find much meaning in relationships, talking about ‘we’ more than ‘you’ or ‘they’.

Listening to a friends problems.

Question: A very detailed description of project requirements would appeal most to a ____________.

Answer: content-oriented listener

Question: What is the definition of listening?

Answer: the process we use to make sense out of what we hear

Question: What does it mean to show empathy? Write a brief, empathetic statement.

Answer: Empathy means you show you understand how the other person is feeling. Student statements will vary.