Good Listening Research Articles

The Power of Listeners: How Listeners Transform Status and Co-create Power

Good listening is highly acclaimed and often prescribed in both theory and practice. However, despite the myriad of benefits associated with listening, good listening remains strikingly scarce. We ...

Can holding a stick improve listening at work? The effect of Listening Circles on employees’ emotions and cognitions

ABSTRACTThe Listening Circle is a method for improving listening in organizations. It involves people sitting in a circle where only one talks at a time. Talking turns are signalled by a talking object. Although there are several reports regarding the effectiveness of the Listening Circle, most are based on case studies, or confounded with another intervention, and do not use theory to predict the listening-induced outcomes. We predicted that perceiving good listening decreases employees’ social anxiety, which allows them to engage in deeper introspection, as reflected by increased self-awareness. This increased self-awareness enables an acknowledgement of the pros and cons of various work-related attitudes and can lead to attitudes that are objectively more ambivalent and less extreme. Further, we hypothesized that experiencing good listening will enable speakers to accept their contradictions without the evaluative conflict usually associated with it (subjective-attitude ambivalence). In three quasi-experiments (Ns = 31, 66 and 83), we compared the effects of a Listening Circle workshop to a self-enhancement workshop (Studies 1 and 2), to a conflict management workshop (Study 2) and to employees who did not receive any training (Study 3), and found consistent support for the hypotheses. Our results suggest that the Listening Circle is an effective intervention that can benefit organizations.

Effectiveness of using a role playing strategy in developing dialogue skills in a language subject for students in the third grade intermediate in Hafr Al-Batin: فاعلية استخدام استراتيجية لعب الأدوار في تنمية مهارات الحوار في مادة لغتي لدى طلاب الصف الثالث المتوسط بحفر الباطن

The aim of this study was to identify the effectiveness of teaching role playing strategy in developing dialogue skills in the immortal language of the intermediate third grade students. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used the semi-experimental method by designing the two equal groups. The sample contains 51 students, 26 students for the control group and 25 students for the experimental group. The researcher used the statistical treatments using the SPSS program, The study has resulted in The results showed that the level of dialogue skills on the student scale among the average third-grade students in the experimental and control groups was medium. The mean of the two groups was on all dialogue skills (2.23). The skill of expressing the opinion is one of the most common dialogue skills, (2.25), while the skill of listening and listening is second, with an average of (2.24), followed by self-esteem in third place with an average of 2.23. Finally, ). In addition, there were statistically significant differences at the level of α 0.05 0.05 in post-performance in all dialogue skills (self-esteem, good listening and listening, respect for others, expression of opinion). In the light of its findings, the researcher made a number of recommendations.

Perfecting Communication Skills of the Students

Abstract Communication is a process of sharing information through speech, writing, gestures or symbols between two or more people. The focus of the present paper is oral communication and the language under consideration is English. The teacher should adopt a student centered approach. The learners should be encouraged to do things in the class which result in developing their communication skills. The trainer has to focus on both the linguistic and paralinguistic features of the communication process while enhancing learners’ communication skills. These features involve the effective use of words, forming grammatically intelligible sentences and an appropriate use of voice and intonation. The teacher should encourage and train his students to use positive body language while listening and speaking. In order to hone the communication skills of the learners, it is very important to make the learners comfortable with the language they have to communicate in. Shedding their inhibitions is also one of the pivotal areas of concerns. This paper explores different techniques that could be useful while training students in communication skills. Communication is a process of sharing information through speech, writing, gestures or symbols between two or more people. The focus of the present paper is oral communication and the language under consideration is English. The major elements of a communication process are sender, receiver, message and feedback. Effective communication is a two way process. It involves both expressive (speaking) skills and receptive (listening) skills. It entails receiver’s understanding of the message sent by the sender and his feedback to the sender. Listening plays a very important role in the language learning process. It is the most primary of the four basic skills of any language i.e. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Listening paves way for speaking. One can never be a good speaker if one is not a good listener. An effective communicator is first a good listener and then a good speaker. According to Tickoo ( 2003 ), ‘Good listening skills not only lay the foundations of good speech, but they grow best through effective communication’.

Adequacy of core knowledge and soft skills in the performance of professional employees of real estate firms in Nigeria

PurposeReal estate professionals are a vital resource to the property firms and the industry at large. Employees’ skills, knowledge and competence contribute in great measure to organization’s business performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the adequacy of core knowledge and soft skills possessed by professional employees within the Nigerian real estate practicing firms. It also assesses the performance of the employees and establishes the correlation among the soft skills possessed by employees.Design/methodology/approachData for this study were elicited through the administration of questionnaires on principal partners/branch managers (the employers) of the practicing estate surveying and valuation firms in Lagos metropolis. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-sample t-test and correlation analysis.FindingsThe result indicates that employees of estate firms in Nigeria demonstrate adequate knowledge in ten out of 21 core areas of real estate practice, while real estate agency has the highest mean, and inadequate knowledge in six others with least mean score in environmental impact assessment. The study also revealed that employees possess good listening and communication skills but are deficient in courteousness and writing skill, among others. It was also found that real estate employees were performing the best in inspection functions but below average in report writing and handling of transaction. The study also established a significant relationship among all the soft skills except communication skill and courteousness.Research limitations/implicationsFurther study that looks at the performance of real estate graduates working in other sectors/organizations other than estate companies is required to establish their competence level in global employment market. Further study is also needed to cover the views of the employees in Nigerian market as this study focuses on the views of the employers.Originality/valueThis study provides an important feedback for the policy makers in the design/review of curriculum for real estate education towards enhancing employability of the graduates. This study also serves as the research blueprint in giving attention to assessment of soft skills among real estate employees in Nigerian real estate industry.

Evaluation of anxiety in children with acute leukemia: A prospective study of 20 cases

IntroductionThe occurrence of acute leukemia (AL) in childhood causes a profound upheaval in the child itself and also within his family. Exposure to this test could contribute to the emergence of anxiety.ObjectiveOur work aims to describe the characteristics of anxiety in this population during the management of the AL.Patients and methodsOur study, still in progress, is prospective and conducted among 20 children hospitalised in hematology department of UMC Hedi Chaker Sfax (Tunisia) during the year 2015–2016. It is performed in two times. The anxiety was assessed using the STAI scale.Preliminary resultsThe average age of our population is 7 years (minimum age = 4 years, maximum age = 11 years). The majority of our patients come from urban areas (76.9% of cases). About their sibling rank, they are mostly the youngest in 53.8% of cases, the oldest in 30.8% of cases and juniors in 7.7% of cases. The most common diagnosis is the lymphoblastic B AL (46.2% of cases).Referring to the STAI scale, 30% of our patients were anxious and had high scores during the first evaluation. Then, the anxiety level attenuates gradually during management period and only 15% were anxious at the 2nd evaluation time.ConclusionSeveral factors such as hospitalisation, diagnosis announcement and cancer treatment contribute to the triggering and maintaining of anxiety. Early detection of anxiety and the good listening between the care team and the parents could appease the high level of anxiety and ensure better management.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Schizophrenia.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Schizophrenia.

Suprasegmental Characteristics of Spontaneous Speech Produced in Good and Challenging Communicative Conditions by Talkers Aged 9–14 Years

This study investigated the acoustic characteristics of spontaneous speech by talkers aged 9-14 years and their ability to adapt these characteristics to maintain effective communication when intelligibility was artificially degraded for their interlocutor. Recordings were made for 96 children (50 female participants, 46 male participants) engaged in a problem-solving task with a same-sex friend; recordings for 20 adults were used as reference. The task was carried out in good listening conditions (normal transmission) and in degraded transmission conditions. Articulation rate, median fundamental frequency (f0), f0 range, and relative energy in the 1- to 3-kHz range were analyzed. With increasing age, children significantly reduced their median f0 and f0 range, became faster talkers, and reduced their mid-frequency energy in spontaneous speech. Children produced similar clear speech adaptations (in degraded transmission conditions) as adults, but only children aged 11-14 years increased their f0 range, an unhelpful strategy not transmitted via the vocoder. Changes made by children were consistent with a general increase in vocal effort. Further developments in speech production take place during later childhood. Children use clear speech strategies to benefit an interlocutor facing intelligibility problems but may not be able to attune these strategies to the same degree as adults.

Tabletop Simulation to Assess Teamwork Competency in OB/GYN Resident Candidates

BACKGROUND: Selecting new residents for an OBGYN training program is a high-stakes undertaking for both candidates and the programs to which they apply. Determining which candidates would work well within their cohort is of paramount importance to the success of a program. In addition, the quality of patient care has been shown to be positively impacted by inter-professional collaboration and well-functioning healthcare teams. METHODS: Mr. Potato Head® tabletop simulation was adapted for use during the UVM OB/GYN Residency Interview Day. Six to 7 candidates were assigned to each team. Candidates were assessed by 2 OBGYN residents who received training on identifying behavioral anchors associated with performance. Results of the team work simulation were included in the holistic review of candidates at the completion of the interview day. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of candidate respondents reported favorable feedback on a post-interview day survey, describing the activity as a unique experience reflecting the value our program places on teamwork. 30/46 candidates met expectations with 6/30 nearly exceeding expectations. 10/46 candidates were rated as borderline meeting expectations and 6/46 failed to meet baseline expectations. Of the 6 candidates rated as not meeting expectations, 3 (50%) were not ranked in our program. 13/14 interviewers found the Potato Head Simulation to be valuable in their assessment of candidates, with 10/14 reporting a moderate to significant influence. Behavior anchors associated with meeting expectations included good listening skills, treating others with respect, the ability to reflect and be open to feedback. DISCUSSION: Teamwork is a skill set that is difficult to evaluate. Traditional one on one-interview scenarios rarely provide the opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their ability to function within a team. Tabletop Simulation provides a feasible, engaging and well received activity during the interview day to assists programs in evaluating candidate team work skills.

Men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and end of life planning

There is very limited evidence about the views of men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and end of life issues including death and dying. Studies have shown the physiological and psychological benefits of talking about and planning for end of life. Despite policy documents and guidance in the UK about end of life planning, there is consensus on the need for improvement. The study reported here is a qualitative one with 15 men with DMD (aged 20–45 years). Participants could not recall any significant conversations with clinicians about end of life and assumed that clinicians were reluctant to discuss the issue. The men in the study wanted to be given proactive cues that they could bring up topics such as death and dying and wanted to have these conversations with clinicians who combined expert knowledge about the condition as well as good listening skills. Topics of interest to participants included likely nature and place of death; practical planning for funerals and wills; and sources of information and support. Emotional or psychological support to think about end of life was not routinely offered and participants found it very difficult to discuss these issues with family members. The study suggests that more could be done to encourage clinicians, men with Duchenne, family members and the wider NMD community to pay attention to end of life planning issues and the associated need for emotional support and high quality interactions between patients and clinicians.

A Study on Listening Skills and Perspectives to First Year Students at English Department of Academic Year 2015/2016

Good ability in listening means having competence to comprehend information during listening activities. However, Listening skill is still considered as one of the most difficult skills for English language learners although they have been learning English for few years. Hence, this study was designed to gather information about the students’ challenges in listening activities, their perspectives on listening subject, and positive factors on the students’ success in listening. Then, a set of listening test and questionnaire were distributed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were studied to identify the underlying matters in students’ listening skills, addressing challenges, main listening hindrance factors and learning experiences. The findings of this study revealed that the students faced problems in listening because they still could not complete the basic listening skills in the test. Furthermore, Most of them considered that the listening classes are challenging for them due to some problems and difficulties during the teaching and learning activities. Besides that, there were 5 factors influenced the students’ listening skill; lack of practice, limited vocabulary mastery, native speakers’ accent, pronunciation, and uninteresting learning materials. Moreover, their knowledge about English structure and good facilities in listening classes supported them to be able to figure out some challenges in listening activities. In addition, the students realized the important of the listening activities, but assistances from the teachers and some other students were still needed during the teaching and learning activities. In conclusion, having good listening skill still appeared as a challenge for the first year students at English Department of Academic Year 2015/2016.

RELATIONSHIP AMONG BRAIN HEMISPHERIC DOMINANCE, ATTITUDE TOWARDS L1 AND L2, GENDER, AND LEARNING SUPRASEGMENTAL FEATURES

<p>Oral skills are important components of language competence. To have good and acceptable listening and speaking, one must have good pronunciation, which encompasses segmental and suprasegmental features. Despite extensive studies on the role of segmental features and related issues in listening and speaking, there is paucity of research on the role of suprasegmental features in the same domain. Conducting studies which aim at shedding light on the issues related to learning suprasegmental features can help language teachers and learners in the process of teaching/learning English as a foreign language. To this end, this study was designed to investigate the relationship among brain hemispheric dominance, gender, attitudes towards L1 and L2, and learning suprasegmental features in Iranian EFL learners. First, 200 Intermediate EFL learners were selected from different English language teaching institutes in Hamedan and Isfahan, two provinces in Iran, as the sample. Prior to the main stage of the study, Oxford Placement Test (OPT) was used to homogenize the proficiency level of all the participants. Then, the participants were asked to complete the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire to determine their dominant hemisphere. They were also required to answer two questionnaires regarding their attitudes towards L1 and L2. Finally, the participants took suprasegmental features test. The results of the independent samples t-tests indicated left-brained language learners’ superiority in observing and learning suprasegmental features. It was also found that females are better than males in producing suprasegmental features. Furthermore, the results of Pearson Product Moment Correlations indicated that there is significant relationship between attitude towards L2 and learning suprasegmental features. However, no significant relationship was found between attitude towards L1 and learning English suprasegmental features. The findings of this study can provide English learners, teachers and developers of instructional materials with some theoretical and pedagogical implications which are discussed in the paper.</p>

Communication skills of tutors and family medicine physician residents in Primary Care clinics

AimTo determine the communicative profiles of family physicians and the characteristics associated with an improved level of communication with the patient. DesignA descriptive multicentre study. LocationPrimary Healthcare Centres in Almeria, Granada, Jaen and Huelva. Participants119 family physicians (tutors and 4th year resident physicians) filmed and observed with patients.Principal measurements: Demographic and professional characteristics. Analysis of the communication between physicians and patients, using a CICAA (Connect, Identify, Understand, Agree and Assist, in English) scale. A descriptive, bivariate, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. ResultsThere were 436 valid interviews. Almost 100% of physicians were polite and friendly, facilitating a dialogue with the patient and allowing them to express their doubts. However, few physicians attempted to explore the state of mind of the patient, or enquire about their family situation or any important stressful events, nor did they ask open questions. Furthermore, few physicians summarised the information gathered. The mean score was 21.43±5.91 points (maximum 58). There were no differences in the total score between gender, city, or type of centre. The linear regression verified that the highest scores were obtained from tutors (B: 2.98), from the duration of the consultations (B: 0.63), and from the age of the professionals (B: −0.1). ConclusionPhysicians excel in terms of creating a friendly environment, possessing good listening skills, and providing the patient with information. However the ability to empathise, exploring the psychosocial sphere, carrying out shared decision-making, and asking open questions must be improved. Being a tutor, devoting more time to consultations, and being younger, results in a significant improvement in communication with the patient.

Effects of Classroom Acoustics on Teachers' Voices

The aim of the study was to research associations between classroom acoustic parameters and teachers' voice use and vocal health (N = 40). From voice samples, sound pressure level (SPL), fundamental frequency ( F0), and the tilt of spectrum slope were analysed. Information on voice symptoms was collected by means of questionnaires. Room acoustic variables were reverberation times (T60, EDT), sound attenuation (DL2) and parameters measuring how well speech is perceived (C50, D50, STI). The associations between the variables were studied for the whole group and separately for quiet and noisy classrooms. The results showed that all the room acoustic variables measured correlated with a teacher's voice variables. Voice SPL was influential especially in the noisy classrooms and F0 in the quiet classes. A teacher's vocal health was poorer if the room acoustic variables indicated better listening conditions. The findings suggest that good listening conditions do not necessarily imply good speaking conditions in classrooms.

The client experience of psychiatric medication: A qualitative study

This qualitative study examined the client experience of psychiatric medication among an unusual and under-studied subpopulation, individuals diagnosed with SMI who eventually experienced functional recovery. Four themes emerged from in-depth qualitative interviews with 16 such individuals: (1) primacy of medication, (2) informed consent, (3) self-determination, and (4) clinical engagement. Participants reported that psychiatric medication was the primary, and sometimes the only, intervention offered to them. Some described substantial delays in receiving psychosocial services, or that they were not informed of their availability. Participants also identified deficiencies in the process of informed consent, with some receiving information on adverse effects belatedly, or not at all. Coercive medication practices (e.g., court-ordered medication) were described negatively. Good clinical engagement from prescribers (e.g., good listening and a respectful relationship) was highly appreciated by the participants and seen as an essential component of their recovery process. Poor clinical engagement on the part of prescribers was a source of frustration. In some cases this resulted from poor micro-level skills; in others, it was more reflective of systemic problems (e.g., 15-minute med checks or rotating prescribers). The participants in this study had all attained functional recovery, an unusually positive outcome. Thus, their experiences and insights could have utility. As recovery-oriented mental health services expand, the integration of client voice into the use of psychiatric medications could result in more collaborative, and possibly more effective, mental health treatment.

Archaeologies of Sound: Reconstructing Louis MacNeice's Wartime Radio Publics

Attempts to recover the audible experience of the Second World War are often frustrated by the paradox that the acoustic past is available in theory but elusive in practice. Focusing on the archival traces left by poet and broadcaster Louis MacNeice, this paper considers how scholars might reconstruct past radio publics – affiliative and critical communities of listening – from a partial record. As one of the most prominent and celebrated scriptwriters at the wartime BBC, MacNeice played a major role in shaping the British public's sense of itself and of the war. For MacNeice, good listening was good citizenship: in two major works, Alexander Nevsky (1941) and Christopher Columbus (1942), he uses aurally astute characters and layered acoustic spaces to model the process of navigating the crowded soundscapes of war. The plays build auditory worlds that mediate between the poles of hearing as a subjective, interior practice and listening as a public activity with political resonances. Through a close examination of scripts, recordings, production notes, and audience responses relating to these two plays, this paper traces the outline of the absent experience of listening in order to better understand the wartime British radio public.

The Activation of Embedded Words in Spoken Word Recognition.

The current study investigated how listeners understand English words that have shorter words embedded in them. A series of auditory-auditory priming experiments assessed the activation of six types of embedded words (2 embedded positions × 3 embedded proportions) under different listening conditions. Facilitation of lexical decision responses to targets (e.g., pig) associated with words embedded in primes (e.g., hamster) indexed activation of the embedded words (e.g., ham). When the listening conditions were optimal, isolated embedded words (e.g., ham) primed their targets in all six conditions (Experiment 1a). Within carrier words (e.g., hamster), the same set of embedded words produced priming only when they were at the beginning or comprised a large proportion of the carrier word (Experiment 1b). When the listening conditions were made suboptimal by expanding or compressing the primes, significant priming was found for isolated embedded words (Experiment 2a), but no priming was produced when the carrier words were compressed/expanded (Experiment 2b). Similarly, priming was eliminated when the carrier words were presented with one segment replaced by noise (Experiment 3). When cognitive load was imposed, priming for embedded words was again found when they were presented in isolation (Experiment 4a), but not when they were embedded in the carrier words (Experiment 4b). The results suggest that both embedded position and proportion play important roles in the activation of embedded words, but that such activation only occurs under unusually good listening conditions.

A cross sectional survey examining the association between therapeutic relationships and service user satisfaction in forensic mental health settings.

BackgroundThis small-scale study examines an often neglected patient group (service users in forensic mental health settings). The research investigates their therapeutic relationship with staff and which therapeutic relationship factors are associated with their level of satisfaction with services.MethodsA cross sectional survey was undertaken in two medium secure units in the UK with seventy seven participants completing self-report measures examining service user satisfaction with services and their therapeutic relationship with staff. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the main predictor variables associated with satisfaction with the service provided.ResultsThe respondents had a generally positive view of services and also of their therapeutic relationships with staff. However, the therapeutic relationship scores were lower than those recorded in community samples. One predictor variable was significantly associated with service user satisfaction; feeling respected and well regarded.ConclusionsThe therapeutic relationship domain of being respected and well regarded by staff was identified as the most significant factor among the therapeutic relationship domains when examining the association with satisfaction with services. The important role mental health clinicians play in enabling service users to recognize they are being treated respectfully is noted as service users judge the degree of honesty, caring and interest that staff show in them. Staff also need to be available and accessible while having good listening and information giving skills. The importance of having both positive therapeutic relationships and service user satisfaction in forensic settings is also discussed.

The Psychiatric Interview: Evaluation and Diagnosis

The Psychiatric Interview: Evaluation and Diagnosis

Waiting on text: interpretation in educational research

Against the widespread insistence that educational research should be ‘scientific’, I attempt to change the terms of the debate. Instead of asking whether research is robust and rigorous, and whether it ‘works’—all terms derived from the ‘scientific’ view—I argue that we should ask whether we can have confidence in research. This way of putting it enables us to place the idea of interpretation back at the centre of our understanding of education, and to see that when we have confidence in interpretation, it is because good interpretation has quite different qualities from scientific knowledge. At the centre of interpretation lies the idea of text and of responsiveness to text. Good interpretation requires good listening or ‘attentiveness’. It does not pretend to represent the world accurately and conclusively, as ‘scientific’ research does: it opens up space for conversation, and brings a world into being.