Listening Journal

Words: 506
Pages: 3

Journal: Listening Listening is the essential part to communication. I always considered myself a fairly good communicator, after reading the chapter and hearing the lesson on listening, I would say I am a below average listener and have a few poor listening habits. To start I could I am a bit of a stagehogger. But in fairness, I am mindful of it and have always been a bit mindful of it. I guess this might come from failing to always interpret the person I am communicating with. I often try to use a personal story as a way to try to relate to the person in talking to. One of my lifelong friends is a HUGE stagehogger, to the point I almost do not want to call him at times. I am also a selective listener; this usually arises with my friends …show more content…
I often take many things out of context and over analyze a single sentence or word as a personal attack. Today, at work two of my friends were walking down the hall, I was with a trainee, explaining something to him. When my friends started to joke with me about something from earlier, I immediately switched up my demeanor, they noticed it and said “we can never joke with you” they both said similar things to me. One guy at work calls me big baby, the other person calls me 6-foot crybaby. Now, I often take this as joking, but I have been trying to decipher if the way the I am sending the message or receiving the message is skewed. However, when more than one person tells me the same thing or name it is hard not to notice that I might be a bit defensive. Most of this “defensiveness” comes from always feeling awkward because of my size, and my communication skills. When I was a kid, it was rare when my parents would allow me to put my input in family conversations. My mother often responded to my with verbally abusive language that made me second-guess my speaking out and led to the start of my defensiveness. I also have this fear of always wanting of needing to be right, and if I am not I get defensive and