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Communication Works by Gamble and Gamble
Communication Works, 7/e
Teri Kwal Gamble
Michael Gamble
Listening and Critical Thinking

Learning Objectives


1.

Define hearing, listening, and critical thinking. Listening is a deliberate process through which we seek to understand and retain aural (heard) stimuli. Unlike hearing, which occurs automatically, listening depends on a complex set of acquired skills including critical thinking. When you engage in critical thinking, you think carefully about what another person is telling you, and you evaluate the believability of the message. You also seek to determine if there is a logical connection between ideas and feelings.

2.

Compare and contrast helpful and harmful listening and thinking habits. The average person listens at only 45 percent efficiency, losing 75 percent of what is heard. A graphic illustration of the results of inefficient listening is distortion of a message in serial communication (when a message is passed from one person to another in a series). A principal reason for poor listening is failure to determine the involvement level appropriate in a particular situation. Various behaviors we adopt cause us to unlisten-that is, they impede true understanding and critical reflection.

3.

Explain and use the listening level-energy involvement scale. Understanding and using the listening level-energy involvement scale can help us develop more effective listening skills. The scale is comprised of five levels: hearing, listening to understand content, listening to retain content, listening to analyze and evaluate content, and listening to help others.

4.

Define feedback, distinguish between and use different types of feedback, and explain how each type affects communication. A prerequisite of effective listening is effective feedback. Feedback consists of all the verbal and nonverbal messages that a person consciously or unconsciously sends out in response to another person's communication. Through feedback, we either confirm or correct the impressions others have of us and our attitudes. There are two main types of feedback: (1) Evaluative feedback gives an opinion, positive or negative, and attempts to influence the behavior of others. (2) Nonevaluative feedback gives emotional support. Probing, understanding (or paraphrasing), supportive feedback, and "I" messages are all forms of nonevaluative feedback that help sustain interpersonal relationships. When listening and giving feedback to people from other cultures, it is essential to be extremely sensitive to cultural norms.

5.

Set appropriate listening goals. You can improve your listening skills by learning to focus your attention while listening and by setting appropriate listening goals. Listening to understand ideas, to retain information, to analyze and evaluate, and to empathize require progressively more effort and attention.

6.

Explain how technology influences listening. Recognizing how culture, gender, and technology influence listening skills may further enhance our ability to develop more effective listening practices. New technological advances, while giving us the ability to listen globally, are also competing for our listening time.








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