Is Anybody Listening?
I have miraculously came across this speech which is given by the toastmaster on listening problem faced in the current era. He started the speech by asking a question, knowing that his audience will agree on. He continued with a personal experience and most of them reacted with laughter as they are able to relate to him due to their similar experiences. This later on garnered the interest of the audiences and engage them with what he is going to say next.
He continued by describing his past when he is practising active listening and concluded that communication had broke down due the fact that we are taking in communication styles and information from too many different sources. Unable to juggle between too many channels has caused his lack of focus when listening, this struggle is termed as “Communication Overload Disorder”.
Secondly, he compared and contrasted the way his wife talks to him and her friend; she only replied every comment with “Oh My God!” but it is spoken with different tone at each time. (That is how easy it is!) Eventually, he came up with my own system called the “Automatic Response Mode”, which allows him to act as if he is paying attention but he is actually not listening. It is just simply replying with “Ya, Uh Huh, and Really” but it has to complement with the different tones used at a particular situation.
This video shows us the methods used by the toastmaster in carrying out his speech and his ideas on listening. By listening attentively, you will be able to know and understand an individual’s style of speaking which will improve the communication. Thus, I believe that listening is a crucial skill that assists us to improve or maintain personal and professional relationships. In fact, we should all embrace and improve it.
After listening to the toastmaster, what is your view on “Communication Overload Disorder” and has it happened to you?
How i wished my mother had the same responses to all the different things that happen at home. I could then make up my own "Automated responses". This would actually save me a lot of time and actually allow me to appear attentive.
ReplyDeleteBut many a times the 'automated response' is a calculated risk in communication. If the speaker is an attention seeking speaker and likes to ask questions which require complex responses, the 'automated response' would seem to be insufficient and at time even seem rude.
Grp 1, Class B
wow I actually practice automated response a lot!><
ReplyDeletebecause sometimes the content by the speaker is just too much and sometimes boring.
I think it's better not to bluntly comment to the speaker that their content is boring. Automated response mode makes one appear to be more 'polite' in the sense that we still respond in different tones, but we are not actually listening. This really do help to maintain relationships.
It is especially useful when we are grumpy or sad and hence do not want to listen to other people talking. But if the other person is of higher authority of is one of your best friend, using Automated response mode would save us out of trouble and conflicts.