The Impact of (In)effective Listening on Interpersonal Interactions

Abstract

On average, people spend between 45% and 70% of their day listening to others (Johnson, 1996). Despite the frequency with which people engage in this activity, its importance in interpersonal interactions may go overlooked. Individuals can typically identify that listening is a valued communication skill (Bambacas & Patrickson, 2008; Papa, 1989), yet they may not grasp the actual impact effective and ineffective listening have on interpersonal interactions. Thus, I present instructions for and an assessment of a 20-minute classroom activity intended to demonstrate the impact that effective and ineffective listening behaviors have on these interactions.