Module 2 Communication Practicum

Project
LEVEL

2: ACCESS LISTENING

Listening is significant in all aspects of our lives, from maintaining our

personal relationships, to getting our jobs done, to taking notes in class, to
figuring out which bus to take to the airport. Regardless of how we're
engaged with listening, it's important to understand that listening involves
more than just hearing the words that are directed at us. Listening is an
active process by which we make sense of, assess, and respond to what we
hear.

Effective listening occurs when the message sent by the speaker is the same
message decoded by the listener. This is important because it creates a
sense of support, encourages an honest expression of ideas and concerns,
and fosters creativity. Listening involves much more than just hearing sound.
Hearing is a sensory experience that gathers sound waves generally
meaning we can hear something without choosing to listen. Whereas
listening is a voluntary activity that includes interpreting or processing that
sound. Active listening involves listening with empathy and paraphrasing.
When you listen empathically you dont just hear words, you relate to
thoughts, beliefs, and feelings.
Five levels of listening:
1. Ignoring
The lowest level is called ignoring, or not
listening at all. If you are distracted, the talker
can get the impression that you are ignoring
them.
2. Pretend Listening
Pretend listening is most easily explained when
face-to-face, when talking to the other person
one says uh huh, sounding distracted.
3. Selective Listening
During selective listening we pay attention to the speaker as long as they
are talking about things we like or agree with. If they move on to other
things we slip down to pretend listening or ignore them altogether.

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4. Attentive Listening
Attentive listening occurs when we carefully listen to the other person, but
while they are speaking we are deciding whether we agree or disagree,
determining whether they are right or wrong. Instead of paying close
attention to the other person, were formulating our response to what he
or she is saying.
5. Empathic Listening also known as empathetic listening is the top level
of listening. You must teach yourself to treat every call as though this is
the first time youve ever heard this problem, even though you may have
heard it many times before. Discipline yourself to see it through the eyes
of the user. Empathic listening is the highest level of listening, and the
hardest to accomplish.

Worries
TV or PC
Fatigue
Phone
Ringing Desire to Talk
Others Talking Personal
Bias
Texting

There may be barriers to effective

listening, but understanding these
barriers can help us to overcome them
and become more effective listener.
Communication barriers can pop-up at
every level of the communication
process and have the potential to create
misunderstanding and confusion,
preventing you from receiving and
understanding the messages others use
to convey their information, ideas and
thoughts. These barriers may be related
to the message, related to thoughts and

feelings, or external barriers.

One must limit distractions and noise barriers to get the point across without
misunderstanding and confusion, the goal should be to lessen the frequency
of these barriers at each stage of this process with clear, concise, accurate,
well-planned communications. The following strategies can be used to
become a more effective listener:
1.

Listen with patience Dont interrupt, speak over, or finish their

sentences.

2.

Listen for key words, main ideas. Summarize or repeat back to

confirm or clarify.

3.

Listen to body language. A blank stare or tense body may mean be

a sign that they dont understand. Body language is not the same across
cultures.
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4.

Listen for language level and then adjust your speaking (speed,
vocabulary, grammar accordingly.)To assess language level, start with
simple, yes/no questions and build in complexity

SCENE 1 Coach White follows Thomas running through the Orchard

Timing Him at 12mph
Coach White has an idea to form a cross-country running team with the aim
of competing at the state level. Most of the students he is looking at wake
before dawn to work in the fields, go to school, and then back to work again.
White must both motivate them and make it possible to have time to
practice. There is a scene where the Coach is driving his truck following
Thomas as he runs through the fields, he times Thomas with a stopwatch
and is amazed at his speed and pace. When Thomas sees him following him
he abruptly stops running and confronts the Coach angrily telling him to stop
following him, the Coach tries to tell him about cross country but Thomas
just turns his back and runs. Internal barriers were demonstrated by Thomas
in this scene when he showed disinterest, hostility, rudeness and stated he
had problems at home.
Scene Analysis
Internal barriers demonstrated:
included:
Hostility
Disinterest

External barriers
Noise and other distractions
Unpleasant environment

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I would suggest to the characters in this scene to: Listen without

prejudice. Do not equate an accent, poor grammar, or lack of fluency with
lack of intelligence. And to be aware of the impact of cultural differences.
Also to connect with sincerity, as long as you are communicating with the
best intentions, and a sincere desire to know the person better, nothing can
go wrong.

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