Assignment Description

Creating Characters Who Listen

At this point in the course, you will have noticed that there are many ways to demonstrate interpersonal communication skills. Similarly, there are also many ways to implement effective listening skills during a conversation. This Application challenges you to consider the myriad of ways you can exhibit listening skills. You will demonstrate your knowledge by constructing a conversation between two characters that will not only show off their listening skills, but will also demonstrate the impact of listening skills in a relationship.

To prepare for this Application:

• Read Chapters 8, 13, and 15 in Composing Relationships: Communication in Everyday Life. As you read each scenario, consider how the characters demonstrate effective listening skills. Pay attention to how the scenario is written and demonstrates listening skills (or lack of listening skills).

• Review Chapter 6 in Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times. Make note of the main concepts and terms regarding effective listening. You will want to use these in your assignment.

• Review the Effective Listening document in the Learning Resources. Make note of how this scenario is written (you want to write like this for this assignment). Consider how this story demonstrates the concepts and terms of effective listening skills.

• Consider situations you have had in your life where it was difficult to listen. You can use these times as inspiration for this assignment.

The assignment:

• Write a 2-page dialogue with two characters having a conversation demonstrating effective listening skills. Your dialogue should follow the format (should look like) of the Betty & Jane effective listening document located in the Week 4 Resources. Your dialogue must also include the following:

o 3 specific listening terms (bold-faced words from pages 186-204 of the Understanding Interpersonal Communication textbook) which describe the listening skills being demonstrated. These terms must be labeled in brackets, as demonstrated in the example story in the Effective Listening document. Include page citations from your texts for each term in brackets.

o Identify 2 listening skills described in Chapter 6 (pages 205-210, not just bold words, section titles also) of Understanding Interpersonal Communication. These skills should also labeled in brackets with page citations.

o I will NOT expect you to fully apply terms in this assignment as I have in previous ones. Simply listing where the term applies and providing the textbook citation is enough.