The art of listening has similarities and differences when compared to any art form. Unlike other arts, listening is something that the majority of people have the ability to do. Not all of us can draw a beautiful picture, paint a masterpiece, or sculpt the likeness of a beautiful woman; however, the majority of the human race listens. In similarity to the great artisans of our time and before, the art of listening, if it is to be mastered, requires practice and diligence. Verderber and Verderber (2013) reported 40 – 60% of the communication process is made up of listening; therefore, it would stand to reason that we (human beings) should have a greater understanding of how to make a more effective …show more content…
Verderber and Verderber (2013) stated according to research most people would favor one particular style; however, some people have the ability to have strength in two of the four and even fewer have the ability to switch between all of them. Upon completion of the personal listening style profile, the scores showed I had strength in two separate styles. My highest score with a total of 13 was in the people-oriented style, followed extremely closely with a score of 12 in the action-oriented …show more content…
I seem to favor knowing why I am having a conversation, what the topic is, and what is required of me once it is complete. I do not recall myself being like that in my younger years, but I do know as I have gotten older, I prefer a clear and precise understanding over a “beat around the bush” style of communication. There is, however, times where I find myself just listening “mindlessly” to a conversation. One such example might be if I am engaged in writing a paper for a class and my wife needs to talk about her day. It is not that I do not want to know about her day, it’s simply that I am otherwise engaged. Line (2013) stated mindless listening is when the listener is when the listener is giving little consideration to the message being delivered and responses and reactions are reactionary. As one who has strength in action-oriented listening, I try to avoid this situation when it comes to listening and interpersonal communication; however, I believe everyone gets to this point every now and