Engaging in Active Listening

In our daily life, we often engage in active listening, without knowing that we actually engaging in it. For example, in supermarket, when the salesperson approach you a product and it attracts you. you then start to ask question regarding the product. In this situation, you have already involve yourself in active listening. Active listening always occur when we seek advice and information from others.

Listen for Meaning

Few weeks ago, my friend, an insurance agent from American International Assurance Berhad (AIA) came to me and told me about his new insurance plan which is called the Multiple Life Plan or known as the 36 Critical Illnesses Plan. All these while, I wanted to have coverage on 36 critical illnesses since I do not have any, so I told him to fix a time with me whereby we both can sit down and he can further explain the advantages of having this critical illnesses plan.

So, when the time came, he explained his plan to me. He told me that how good the plan is. He also did a comparison of his plan with other insurance company. Well, for me, when it comes to buying a life plan, I used to ask long-winded question just to ensure that I understand the product well. I have been asking many WH question, such as what do I need to do if I have been diagnosed with critical illnesses, how is the payment mode, how can I claim and etc. 

When I have understood the product well, he then asked me my feelings towards the plan. Was the plan that they offering good and so on. Most of the feedback I gave were positive as I think the product was pretty well designed and plan. In this situation, I have eventually engaged myself in active listening as I listen attentively to what he said. When I have a need or desire for the product, I started asking him lots of question to make sure that I fully understand what the product is all about. I also gave responses and feedback of the product. 

When engaging ourselves in active listening, we must always get ourselves interested and getting ourselves involve with what others trying to tell us. through responding and giving feedback, it also helps us to get involve in active listening. we have to pay attention and give fully focus on the messages  that others are trying to convey to us. besides, active listening also involve "question and answer" session to make sure that we truly understand what others are tying to tell us. Basically, active listening involve the following:

Steffi         

Pseudo Listening

This is a new word that I learn recently in class and found myself as a pseudo listener.
Pseudo basically means false or not sincere. 
Therefore, a pseudo listener is people who is isn't listening properly due to distractions.
Thinking back it makes me feel guilty because most of the time I did pseudo listening when my mother is trying to talk with me, to understand me better. 
Although I always answer her uh huh, okay, en, yes, alright, sure etc. I wasn't paying attention at all because my focus is on my laptop or mobile phone. 
Putting myself in her shoes, I think I hurt her feelings when she once told me: 

You know, your laptop sees you more than I do.

Since watching my grandmother held her last breath in front of me, I realize that time flies really fast.
Thus, appreciating moments and time talking with my parents, understanding them, satisfying them is what I should do at the moment before regretting it when it's too late. 
My parents have spend half a life time raising me up and they have never pseudo listen to me at all, not even once. Whenever I need to talk, they will be there anytime, ready to listen.
After reflecting myself recently, I felt bad and sorry for neglecting them too often by pseudo listening.
This is a bad habit and I've made up my mind to do my best quitting it.

found this on tumblr

credits to allieD19

Rachel

I hear you but I'm not listening!

What is the difference between listening and hearing? Well in this class I have learnt that there are so many differences between listening and hearing. Do we notice sometimes when our mother start nagging because we always woke up late or did not know how to wash dishes and how to cook? Does it can we consider as listening or hearing over our mother’s nag? 

Listening is when we receiving the message and started to construct the meaning to give our responses through verbal or nonverbal. But for hearing, we only receive the message that being received to us but we did not construct any meaning and did not response to it. Anyways, most of us did not know that actually we have variety types of listening, active listening, empathic listening, critical listening and listening for enjoyment. The differences is where we listen with a purpose, listening with a purpose and attempting to understand the other person, listen with evaluating accuracy and listening for enjoyment to relax such as listening to music. During the lecture in class, which technique do we use?  

 In class lecture, students would use three types of listening, active listening, empathic listening and critical listening where we use to receive the message and keep it in our brain memory and start to response to it by understand what have been told to you. Other than that, for memory we have working memory, short-term memory and long-term memory. For working memory is where we interpret and assigns the meaning to the stimuli. For short-term memory, is when temporary storage happened, when the message received, we tend to forget it very easily. For long-term memory, is when the message revived is permanently in the storage space.

Sya