Blog Post #1

Throughout the readings of the past couple of weeks, one sentence stuck out to me the most. It was stated on page 64 in our textbook in chapter 4. This chapter deals with compassionate critical listening, which I think is very important. The sentence is, “listening is a practice that requires our active attention and focus” (p. 64).

To most this is a simple sentence but I think it is very powerful. Most people do not know the difference between hearing and listening, and some even think they are the same thing. However, they are two very different things. Hearing is physically hearing the sounds but “listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences” (Hearing, 2011, p. 1). In other words, listening requires understanding. And understanding and creating shared meaning between the sender and the receiver can be rather difficult. 

The sentence stated in chapter 4 describes two requirements to listening. Those requirements are active attention and focus. This means you need to be paying attention to that person and what they are saying and nothing else. Some things that people struggle with when it comes to listening is, they are thinking of their response. This does not demonstrate active attention or focus. 

This statement is so important because it can solve a lot of issues. If you are listening to people, shared meaning can become a lot easier. Less fights would occur and conversations could be made easier. This makes me think differently about the course material because it is such a simple sentence yet it is so important. In a communication course, listening is one of the most important aspects of proper communication. This is why it is best to understand what listening actually means and what you need to do to become a good listener. Communication is very messy but taking the needed steps to listening, such as focus and active attention, communication could be a lot easier! 

Hearing vs. Listening. (2011, June 16). Retrieved February 02, 2018, from http://www.d.umn.edu/kmc/student/loon/acad/strat/ss_hearing.html