The Interview with David Konig - a Professor at the Washington University - Essay Example

Listening It goes without a shadow of doubt that the art of listening is one of the most important in any profession. This major importance is not only to be seen in the professional world but actually in every aspect in the life of an individual. It is this great importance attached to effective listening that I undertook the activity of interviewing a person in the professional world. The interview was with particular to the effect of listening in that person’s profession and his everyday life. The person I chose to interview in this case was David Konig, a professor at the Washington University. The interview was conducted within the institution for the purpose of convenience to the professor. I particularly chose a person in the teaching profession because this is one profession that employs the importance of effective listening most of the time. The interview conducted lasted twenty minutes and these twenty minutes were actually the most insightful minutes I have ever had with regards to the art of listening in individuals. It is of essence to understand what it really means to listen effectively in the education sector. This is a particularly touchy issue in the sense that when it is taken lightly there tends to be a very high chance that the wrong information will be communicated to the target audience. In education, especially, active listening entails being in a position to communicate to what a person hears from the speaker. The main reason for this is to establish whether the person has understood that which is being passed across. Indeed it is true that listening is a process. In this light it can be set as a three step process. These steps are actually the most important if effective listening is to be achieved. The first step is that of comprehending that which is being communicated. This is what will point out whether there is actual communication to the recipient. The next step is retaining the communication that has been received. It is important as through retention then meaning will be created in the words that are being passed to the listener. This retention capability is different in every individuals basing on their ability to memorize things. The final step in the listening process is that of providing a response. The response that should be provided in this case should be majorly non-verbal. This is because if verbal response is provided then the roles of the speaker may be interchanged in the sense that the listener may end up being the speaker. It may seem relatively easy to muster the listening skill but actually it may not be as easy as it seems. There are quite a number of challenges that may be encountered in the efforts to be an effective listener. This is something that is very easy to tell, especially from the perspective of a person in the teaching profession. An example of such a challenge is that of cramming. Immediately after a presentation a student may be asked to reiterate that which was being passed in the presentation. In most cases what is noted is that people have the habit of cramming things. This is a dangerous Endeavour since in the event something totally different crosses the mind of that particular person the content will disappear, all of it. Cramming is not also advisable because the information that is crammed is set in the short term memory and will be disposed when it is no longer needed. This is why a person will often forget that content almost immediately. The other challenge that may arise is a case where a person does not attach meaning to what is being communicated. This is not to say that he or she is not listening. The mere fact that the importance of the information is being downplayed will make it lose meaning. Interruptions also bring about a challenge to effective listening. This interruption may be internal within the person or it may be external. External interruptions come by when for example other people start talking and the listener’s attention shifts. Internal interruption comes by when the mind of the listener wanders away from that which is being communicated. There are some ways that may help a listener overcome the challenges that are associated with effective listening. One way is to put personal emotions aside and focus on the speaker. The other way may be to ask questions in order to enhance concentration and put the environmental distractions at bay. The speaker may also come to the aide of the listener by posing the right body language and using the right tone. It can also be of great importance for the listener to jot down short notes relating to what the speaker is presenting. It cannot go without saying that when it comes to the act of listening different people have different ways of approaching the issue and at the same time the importance that is attached to this act is rather relative especially from one profession to another. What is of key importance, however, is how a person will look at the whole aspect from an individual perspective. In this connection it should be understood that listening and hearing are totally different things. Hearing majorly revolves around the sounds that are perceived. Listening on the other hand is all about creating meaning from the verbal and non-verbal messages that a person may perceive. A person should also clearly understand that listening is a skill that is acquired with time and not acquired at birth like the ability to listen. Another thing with listening is that a person should be in a position to bring out the fact that he has gotten the meaning of what the speaker has said. This should be done in a way that will dispel any shadow of doubt that people may have. In order to do this with success then the memory of a person is what will come into focus. The importance of effective listening can play to a person’ advantage if well utilized. The primary reason is that when a person utilizes his or her full listening potential there will be no information that will pass him or her and for that reason will be constantly in the know. To add on this the person will learn to communicate effectively that which he or she has learnt. The above discussion is just but a summary of the elements brought out by the professor whom I interviewed. The interview schedule that I used is attached along with this submission relating to the interview. References Judi Brownell (2009),Listening:attitudes, principles, 4th edition. Allyn & Bacon Schedule for the interview held on 9th January 2012 with professor David Konig on the importance of effective listening. 1. What is your name? 2. What is the name of the institution you are currently involved with? 3. What is your perception about the approach you use to communicate with your target audience? 4. What kind of feedback do you get from your audience? 5. What role do you think effective listening has in the profession you are currently involved in? 6. Has effective listening have any impact in your profession? 7. Elaborate on some of the challenges you face when it comes to effective listening 8. How can these difficulties that are met be tackled? 9. Any word of advice with regards to effective listening in the academic field? Read More