There are six information processing listening barriers discussed in your textbook; show how you have used three of them

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary, but must show understanding of the following characteristics of each barrier:
1. Preoccupation: We focus on things other than the person we're listening to. For example, while my daughter is telling me about the book she is reading, I'm thinking about starting dinner.
2. Multitasking/Shifting Attention: We shift our attention from one task to another in an effort to do several tasks at once, forcing us to choose which to pay more attention to. For example, I'm talking on the phone with a coworker while I'm checking email.
3. Pseudolistening: We give the impression that we're listening with verbal and nonverbal cues, but we're really just faking it and are probably preoccupied with something else. (We can use pseudolistening simultaneously with all of the other barriers.) For example, I may be nodding my head and smiling congruously while you tell me about your vacation, but I'm actually thinking about getting to my next class on time.
4. Information overload: We're bombarded with an excessive number of messages that we consider relevant and important and are overwhelmed by the energy it takes to process it all. For example, when I drive in big cities, I have difficulty carrying on a conversation, looking for the appropriate road signs, being aware of the other traffic, looking at the landmarks, and hearing the radio at the same time.
5. Physiological distractions: Any bodily discomfort, such as tiredness, fatigue, headaches, hunger, and illness. For example, I find that when my blood sugar is low right before lunch, I do not concentrate well when someone comes to my office.
6. Listening gap: We can process messages four- to five-times faster than people normally verbalize them, so our minds tend to have "free time." For example, in listening to a lecture, my brain can take in the information faster than my professor can speak it, so I have to either use that time to make further associations about the information, or let it wander to other preoccupations.