Listening is a 10 part skill

I did find this article interesting, and I could relate to some of the bad listening skills that were brought up.

6 signs of non-listening

As I read the very first nonlistening pattern, I actually read it out loud to my Fiance because he does Pseudolistening to me all the time, and as I am reading it, I realize he is doing it while I'm reading about it to him!!

American Society

After reading the discussion question I can honestly say that I never knew that the metaphor "melting pot," referred  to the melting together of all cultures and blending as one. I always thought melting pot meant that there are a bunch of different people living in one area and we all contribute to society which would be the soup. All the different cultures and types of people come together to make a final product, but now thinking about that metaphor I can understand why it would be the melting down and blending into one unified character. I like the metaphors that Jesse Jackson uses, I think it is important that we recognize we are all different and just because we live in the same area doesn't mean we need to be the same. I think people who were born and raised here feel a little territorial, when it comes to embracing other cultures. We all just have to remember that there was always someone here before us and they were different from us as well, so we just have to accept it. I would use the metaphor "garden salad" because instead of blending all the differences together, we show off all the differences and they each share a role, just like a garden salad.

Hate Speech

The timing of this discussion is really interesting to me because we are lightly touching on the topic of Hate Speech in my Media Law class.

Your 20's

So for this discussion I first talked to my dad about how he, and his friends were expected to act when they were in their 20’s.

Attachment Styles

The most interesting concept for me in Chapter 2 was attachment styles.

Race and Identity

One of the most interesting parts of this section I found on race was the very end where the author discusses the new scholarship area of critical whiteness studies.

I-Thou Communication

I feel that I-Thou communication is saved for romantic relationships, in where we finally let down all guards and stop worrying about our image.

I-It or I-You

I have definitely experienced both I-It and I-You, being a server in a restaurant I know how it feels to have someone treat you like an it.

Linear VS Interactive

I definitely agree with the book with the fact that the Linear Model is incredibly flawed. Communication does not go in one direction without coming back to the sender, the only example I can think of where I have seen this type of communication was if a child was getting lectured or yelled at by their parent. In that case, the child is sitting there passively listening to the parent speak. The Linear Model also explains that listening in just the second step to speaking, when in fact as the book says, most of the time these two steps overlap or work simultaneously together.

On the other hand, the Interactive Model explains that listeners give feedback in response to the speaker. This model also includes that the listener uses their own personal experiences and opinions to interpret the message and shape their feedback accordingly. The best way to compare the two models would be to say that the Linear Model is a one way street and the Interactive Model is a two way street. Information flows out in one direction for the Linear, and information is exchanged back and forth in the Interactive. I can definitely relate to the Interactive Model when personal experience does not overlap enough and misunderstandings occur. This is why people argue, because they both have either had two different experiences on a certain topic, or one has no experience at all. As the book says, although the Interactive model is an improvement to the Linear model, they both are still flawed. Communication is an involvement of both parties, one person is not defined at the sender and one as the receiver, it is a constant exchange from both people or multiple people.