In chapter 6 one of the concepts I found to be true is preoccupation under the internal obstacles section starting on page 153 of the textbook. According to the textbook there are five internal obstacles that can get in the way of listening, they are “preoccupation, prejudgment, reacting to emotionally loaded language, lack of effort, and not recognizing or adapting to diverse listening styles” (Wood,2011). My grandmother passed away on July 26th of this year and I was scheduled to take the GRE (a test to get into graduate school) on August 1st. My mind was so preoccupied with helping my mom make funeral arrangements and tell family who lived out of state that I couldn’t concentrate on the exam. I knew when I left the exam I had done poorly because I couldn’t focus on the math. Of course I told mom right away and she understood. According to the GRE guidelines I can’t take the test for another 60 days so I have resigned up to take it again in October. I hope to be more focused this time so I can get into the Sports and Exercise Psychology program at West Virginia University.
-Katrina
Dear Katrina,
ReplyDeleteThe five internal obstacles that can get in the way of listening, happen to me sometimes also. I understand completely what you and the book stated. When we are preoccupied, we are not attentive to other things. Prejudgment will only stop us from realizing that we do not know what others will say. Failing to put forth effort, cause us to be bad listeners. Also with the many diverse listening styles, like you mentioned, we have to adapt. The more we focus on fixing these issues, the better listeners we can become. We listen in our every day lives, so it is important that we are efficient.
Great post
By the way, hope you do good on the GRE!
-lead_succeed
Hey Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI want to first start off by saying that I am sorry for your loss. I am able to relate in a way to your experiences because a year ago I lost my grandfather to a brain tumor. I also was so incredibly preoccupied in class that I ended up asking my mother if I could just stay home for the week. I couldn't even make it to school because my mind would be on my grandfather and there were times when I would just break down and cry. But on a little more cheerful note, there are also times when I am enamored with someone and find myself thinking about them when I am in class. I try so hard to listen and comprehend what the teacher is saying, but I usually end up daydreaming about the person that I am crushing on. Being preoccupied, whether it be with family, friends, work, or romance, has always been a weakness of mine. I am doing my best to control it and focus on what needs to be done.
Hope you do well on the GRE!!
Much Love,
Elek Tricitie :)