Kristin J. Soria— The Most Important Sentence

In Reading Chapter 3, Public Advocacy: Commitments and Responsibility, Compassionate Critical Listening helps the readers dig deeper in some of the ways we might not be receiving the full message from our presenters. Making the readers ponder on the ways they make connections with either the presenter or the topic that is being discussed. When reading a few of the listed questions that are asked for the readers to reflect upon, I was struct with the most interest in: “If you inventory how you’re feeling, are you tired, sick/injured, unhappy, or hungry? How does each of these feelings affect your listening skills?” (Warren and Fassett, 51) When thinking about this question, I referred back to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs with motivating everyone’s behavior. When your needs are not being fulfilled from the presenter, your less likely to engage within the attempt of persuasion. To receive the full intake of the material that’s being presented, you must be able to either push aside those unmet needs or have them be fulfilled.

Personally, this made me think back to pretty much anytime I sit down for a lecture, a presentation, or even listening to friends. If I am feeling hungry and the discussion isn’t holding my attention, I become more aware of my need of hunger. When I am stressed about certain issues that need my full attention, I become more oblivious to other information that is trying to connect with me. When I reflected upon this question, I immediately thought, “Yep, that is one of my biggest weaknesses as a listener!” Continuing reading Chapter 3’s section on Compassionate Critical Listening, it gives a great thought to consider when trying to change your listening weaknesses into strengths. “One way we can teach ourselves to refocus is to be empathic, to consider what the speaker is thinking and feeling— in general, about the course, and about her or his topic… It helps, as listeners, if we consider our own ethical relationship, our responsibility, to that speaker.” (Warren and Fassett, 52) Rather than trying to figure out the dialogue, and details of the topic, putting my focus more on how the presenter is feeling is a great distraction and fulfilling my needs in refocusing my attention to the topic. This can then allow my engagement with the topic and presenter to become more of a connecting relationship, rather than just a one-way message.

Overall, becoming aware and reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses as a listener is extremely important to discover. This can truly enlighten the way we think, interact, and create our overall opinions on topics of discussion. Understanding the type of listener, you are, can help you change from being a good listener to an engaged listener.