Interpersonal COMM Ch. 8 Vocab

listening

The process of receiving and responding to others’ messages.

Hearing

The first stage in the listening process in which sound waves are received by a communicator.

Mindless listening

Reacting to others’ messages automatically and routinely, without much mental involvement.

mindful listening

Careful and thoughtful attention and responses to others’ messages.

Task-oriented listening

A listening style that is primarily concerned with efficiency.

Relational listening

A listening style that is primarily concerned with emotionally connecting with others.

Analytical listening

A style of listening that emphasizes hearing all details of a message and then assessing it from a variety of perspectives.

critical listening

A listening style that involves evaluating the content of a message.

attending

A phase of the listening process in which the communicator focuses on a message, excluding other messages.

Understanding

A stage in the listening process in which the receiver attaches meaning to a message.

Listening fidelity

The degree of congruence between what a listener understands and what the message-sender was attempting to communicate.

remembering

A phase of the listening process in which a message is recalled.

responding

A phase of the listening process in which feedback occurs, offering evidence that the message has been received.

Silent listening

Staying attentive and nonverbally responsive without offering verbal feedback.

Questioning

A listening response in which the receiver seeks additional information from the sender.

open questions

Questions that allow for a variety of extended responses.

closed questions

Questions that limit the range of possible responses, such as questions that seek a yes-or-no answer.

sincere questions

Genuine attempts to elicit information from others.

counterfeit questions

Questions that are disguised attempts to send a message rather than elicit information.

Paraphrasing

Restating a speaker’s thoughts and feelings in the listener’s own words.

Empathizing

A listening response that conveys identification with a speaker’s perceptions and emotions.

Supporting

A listening response in which the receiver reveals her or his solidarity with the speaker’s situation.

analyzing

A listening response in which the listener offers an interpretation of a speaker’s message.

evaluating

A listening response that appraises a sender’s thoughts or behaviors and implies that the person evaluating is qualified to pass judgment on the other.

advising

A listening response in which the receiver offers suggestions about how the speaker should deal with a problem.