ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the skill of listening and its importance in students' interpersonal communication. Listening is the process of receiving, attending to, and assigning meaning to aural stimuli. The first step in the listening process is that of receiving or hearing sounds from the environment. Eye contact communicates acceptance in American culture. When interacting with individuals from other cultures, be as sensitive as possible to their norms and expectations; for example, direct eye contact is regarded as impolite or rude in many Asian cultures. Supportive facial expressions are another way to create a sense of acceptance when listening to others. Active listening can be used to ensure that the listener has understood what the speaker has said. Listening is often mistakenly viewed as a passive activity —the speaker talks and the listener listens. Listening to evaluate focuses on judging the accuracy, validity, or worth of the speaker’s statements.
