StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Reflective technique of listening - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay describes a reflective technique of listening. It initially goes on to explain the listening orientation and then follows it up with how reflective listening is to be performed. Listening is more often than not confused by human beings with hearing…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.8% of users find it useful
Reflective technique of listening
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Reflective technique of listening"

Reflective Learning Introduction Listening is more often than not confused by human beings with hearing. The hearing is a completely mechanical process which is performed by us all the time. Listening goes beyond this mechanical process. Its focus is to actually understand the speaker and show empathy towards him. We will try to analyze an article here written by Dalmar fisher which deals with the concept of reflective listening. This article has been written by him in the book Communication in Organization. The article has been included in the appendix. Reflective listening is more difficult than most people believe it is. It requires full concentration on part of the listener to pay attention to the speaker and not let his thoughts or judgments come in the way. Reflective listening is done to help a speaker sort out a problem or to allow him to express his feelings. We will analyze the techniques proposed by Dalamr fisher with regard to this aspect of listening. Analysis of the article The above article deals with the reflective technique of listening. It initially goes on to explain the listening orientation and then follows it up with how reflective listening is to be performed. The writer explains what reflective listening is and when it used. He says that it should be used when you are trying to help the speaker deal with something. Very little effort to provide solutions to the speaker should be done; the primary focus of this type of listening is to let the speaker deal with his emotions and let him find a solution for himself. The first thing of importance that article describes in the orientation to be adopted while listening. The orientation should consist of four main components: empathy, acceptance, congruence, and concreteness. The writer then goes on to explain empathy as the listener’s desire to understand the internal frame of mind of the speaker. The author explains the concept very well by giving examples of how empathy can be shown by saying phrases like “I follow you”; “I am with you”. He explains acceptance as accepting the person for what he is and not trying to judge him. It is closely related to empathy. When a person doesn’t try to judge the speaker; the speaker is encouraged to speak freely and discuss all aspects of the problem that he has been facing. Congruence is explained as being in the same external frame as you are internal. If you are angry, the writer feels it is better to tell the speaker than to show false sympathy as the speaker can always guess whether your concern is genuine or not. Concreteness is defined as the ability of the listener to focus on specifics rather than vague generalities and ideas. The listener should encourage the speaker to be more specific in order to help him reach the root cause of this problem. The speaker may be trying to avoid it. In reflection, the listener should attempt to clarify and restate what the speaker is saying. I will not only assure the speaker that you are paying attention to what you are saying but will also clear your thoughts and help you to understand the speaker in a better way. Listening orientation and reflective listening are said to be mutually re-enforcing by the writer. One feeds on the other and helps the other to grow. The listener should try to react to only personal comments made by the speaker such as “I am worried about the job”. Instead of focusing on how his job is; reflective listening encourages the listener to focus on the worried part. Reflective listening basically lets the speaker take ownership of the problem. So the writer says that the listener should never try to lead the conversation but should only respond whenever necessary. These responses should be limited and should only be there to encourage the speaker to continue speaking. The most important aspect of reflective listening mentioned by the writer is to acknowledge; understand and respond to the feelings of the speaker rather than the actual content of what he is saying. These feelings might not be in the content but it may be implied by the content of the speaker. Understanding these underlying feelings is the real success of a reflective listener. The writer also explains some dangers to avoid while trying to listen reflectively such as stereotyped reactions, trying to get too close to the speaker, giving a long response which diverts the speaker from the topic and inattention to non-verbal cues from the speaker. Personal Reflection The writer has explained the concepts in plain and easy to understand language. Each and every concept has been elaborated with examples from real life. The most interesting point of the article was infected a quiz which tests the understanding of the reader by giving a set of statements and asking the reader to classify the statements which can be used in reflective learning techniques. The writer explains the concepts by using a flowchart at the end of the reading which clarifies concepts and gives a brief summary of the points discussed in the article. The writer also goes beyond theory and goes on to encourage the reader to practice reflective listening with people around him. In order to encourage the article acknowledges the awkwardness that the reader may feel in the beginning but encourages him to go beyond the initial hesitation and practice it as it will lead to various benefits. The article clearly helps a person to understand the advantages of reflective listening technique. It also explains the process which can be used in order to follow this technique in the day to day activities. The article then goes on to explain how my day to day relationships with other people will be improved when practical application of the technique is done. The writer has not only explained theory but has also given real-life examples in order to make the concepts clear. Finally, the most important advantage is that the writer explains the various pitfalls that are associated with the technique and may lead to failure of the technique if the other person misunderstands you. Conclusion Thus in a nutshell reflective listening can be said to be complementary to listening orientation. You need to have the correct orientation in order to listen reflectively. Empathy, acceptance, congruence, and concreteness can be said to be the main aspects of listening orientation. The article describes effectively the advantages of reflective listening and also helps an uninitiated person to understand the process with which this listening technique can be applied. Works Cited Fisher, D. (2010). Reflective Listening Techniques. In D. Fisher, Communication in organizations (pp. 210 - 278). New York: West Pub., 1993. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Reflective technique of listening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved de https://studentshare.org/education/1391264-reflective-learning
(Reflective Technique of Listening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/education/1391264-reflective-learning.
“Reflective Technique of Listening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/education/1391264-reflective-learning.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Reflective technique of listening

Active/Reflective Listening

Active listening is the best form of listening because it leads to accurate understanding of meaning on the part of the listener.... Active listening is a technique of communication that is used in training, counseling, and conflict resolution.... Techniques to conduct proper Active Reflective Listening In order to use the technique of active listening for the improvement of interpersonal communication, it is imperative that an individual does not concentrate upon personal emotions while the conversation goes on....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Effective Communication: Listen Actively

The author concludes that employing the techniques ineffective listening serves as a foundation for stronger relationships.... Effective listening establishes acceptance of ideas and the person from whom the ideas came from, builds trust and, as a result, may convince the other person to take actions.... It seems crucial to define listening at this point.... mong these misconceptions are the following: listening is easy, improving reading ability also improves listening skills, engaging in listening activities daily eliminates special training for listening and listening ability is related to the intelligence of the listener....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Identify the behaviors associated with listening, hearing, and non-listening

elective Listening: This is the type of listening where an individual pays attention to only a portion or part of the conversation.... The topic under discussion could as well be not interesting according to the listener. Monopolizing: This Behaviors associated with listening, hearing, and non-listening Project Close Out: al: Forms of ineffectivelistening Pseudo listening: It's non-listening in which an individual just pretends to be listening while in the actual sense he or she is not....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Interactive Listening

Interactive listening is a type of listening where the listeners react both verbally and non-verbally to what they are hearing from the speaker (Bell & Smith, 2010).... Interactive listening is a type of listening where the listeners react both verbally and non-verbally to what they are hearing from the speaker (Bell & Smith, 2010).... The interactive listening technique of acknowledging emotions involves use of actions like nodding by the listener to show whether he understands or not....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Interpersonal Communication and Its Characteristics

He also demonstrates barriers that can occur, some strategies of listening, the role of emotions and conflicts in interpersonal communication.... This work describes interpersonal communication and its main characteristics.... The author of this assignment gives advice about interpersonal communication that can help in having a better understanding of the whole phenomenon....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

The Persuasive Writing Technique

I achieved this technique through listening and analyzing various persuasive speeches and writings that were found in other media of communication including the newspaper, television, magazines, and internet.... The most tasking part of the persuasive writing technique is a… Persuasive writing involves several techniques all of which aims at supporting the writer claims.... The most tasking part of the persuasive writing technique is a requirement of the writer to convince the reader to perform a certain task....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Personal Development Plan

I was able to develop my interpersonal communication skill by focusing much upon interacting with other individuals based on the aspects of enhancing knowledge and understanding listening capabilities.... I was able to develop my mentoring skills with the practice of a two-way communication with different individuals that assisted me in obtaining a clear understanding of the prevailing cultural diversity in my community and developing trust amid themselves by way of demonstrating better follow-up or listening skills....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Creating a Positive Learning Environment

The aim of this training session is to understand the importance of listening.... The objective of the training session was to be able to differentiate between listening and hearing and to implement it in the professional as well as personal life.... The objective also included gaining knowledge about different listening techniques.... helping the manager to learn and develop effective listening technique, learn about the difference between listening and hearing, etc....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us