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Listening and Thinking

Andrew Wolvin, listening scholar, says listening is probably one of the most complex of all human behaviors.24 So  far in this chapter, we have talked about how much listening skills are valued and used and what’s involved in the listening process, as well as references to thinking. This chapter is titled “Connecting Listening and Thinking in the Communication Process.” It’s time to think about those connections. Margarete Imhof, a German listening scholar, found students were able to improve their listening comprehension in difficult classes when they used active thinking prior to listening and as they listened to difficult or new material. Students were asked to use precognitive strategies, that is, create questions to help them determine meaning in the hardest lecture course they had, prior to attending class. Imhof suggests that students ask questions of themselves prior to the communication event, and then, during the communication, work to find areas of interest and possible application. Try the following:

1. Pick a talk show or news broadcast on a television channel you don’t normally watch.

2. Watch the show for 30 minutes without interruptions from other sources (shut off your cell phone, put the computer to sleep, and stay in a room without other people).

3. Create a list of questions you want to have answered before you watch the program.

4. Tell yourself that you need to focus on the programming content.

5. At the end of the 30 minute period, check to see if your questions were answered.

6. Did a focus on the relevance of the material make a difference?

7. Could you see how the person(s) had reasonable views, even if you did not share the views?