Active Listening Skills and Communication: HUCL1101 Final Project

This assignment analyzes the importance of active listening as a crucial component of effective communication, drawing insights from a TED Talk by Julian Treasure. The student's response explores the art of listening, the attributes affecting active listening (culture, values, expectations), and practical exercises like the RASA acronym (Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, Ask) and listening positions. The assignment covers how sound impacts mindfulness, concentration, and interpersonal relationships. The student reflects on personal experiences and the impact of technology on communication, highlighting the benefits of active listening in fostering better relationships, managing conflicts, and promoting a peaceful world. The analysis also includes the importance of active listening in schools and the role of sound in understanding time and our present condition. The student emphasizes the importance of the message of active listening for personal growth, mindfulness, and societal improvement.

Running Head: communication
Active listening
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Authors Note

1Active listening
Introduction
Active listening is part is one of the most important part of communication for or better
receiving and interpreting the message. Listening is the key for all effective communication
without listening one cannot understand the meaning of the message. Good listening can help
a person with personal well-being and professional improvement. A famous quote Dr Rachel
Naomi Raman is that” the most basic powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.
Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention.”
The video of TED Talk is all about active listening and art of listening full stop art of
listening can only help in active listening and improve our communication (TED Talks.,
2020). That speaker in the video is Julian treasure. He is the chairperson of the sound agency
a firm which advises companies how to design sounds in daily lives physical spaces and
communication. He speaks globally about the sound at how to use sound in their daily lives.
He wrote many books such as sound business how to be heard secrets for powerful speaking
and listening and offers practical exercises to develop communication skill and help to
understand sonorous walls effect on daily life.
Discussion
Response to Question 1
The video focuses on art of this is the most important part of communication. According to
the speaker people spend approximate 60% time of our communication 25% of what one
hears. The video has shown that listening is a mental process which helps to make meaning
from sounds full stop according to the speaker this is a process of extraction. There are
different attributes which act as the filter during communication specially listening.

2Active listening
According to the speaker hour unconscious mind only listen to the sounds which are
emphasized by the filters. This video is also talk about how to listen actively full stop the
speaker shares some exercises which can help anyone to listen actively and careful (TED
Talks., 2020). He explained to the audience how sound works and how people are restricting
themselves from wide range of listening to a narrow and poor trend of listening. According to
a study escapist mentality and impatience have impact daily listening of a human being and
this can lead to a world of violence (Elbert, Moran & Schauer, 2016).
Response to Question 2
The speaker in the video talks about the attributes which affect our active listening
full stop as per the speaker human being only listen on the basis of attributes which has
impact on his unconscious and subconscious mind. Culture language values believes
expectation and intentions are the attributes all filters with effect active listening. The speaker
emphasizes on the quote which says “sonority is the time and meaning” ( Orzechowska,
2019). Julian Treasure also explain how conscious listening can help in basic communication
and conflict management. Insensitive comments and unnecessary screaming of media are
affecting quality of listening. Impact of poor listening are shown in declining peace of this
world. The speaker share 5 exercises for listening and how common people can improve
their listening habits by applying those exercises. At the end of the video the speaker
emphasizes on giving training for active listening skill in schools. He eexpressed his
amazement why people are not conscious about active listening and do not understand the
value of listening in their personal and professional growth. He explained that with active
listening the world can be better place with peace and better interpersonal relation.
The speaker shares a suggestion related to listening positions. The listening positions involve
active and passive listening, reductive and expanding listening and lastly empathic and

3Active listening
critical listening (Friston et al., 2020). The conflict management and communication are
completely e related to art of listening sympathetic and Critical listening can vary the result
of communication. Active communication involved active whereas passive listening is
considered as critical approach to speaker in the conversation (Celik, 2017). Active listening
is not only effective for us to concentrate and improve our mindfulness but also in
productive communication. This video can also help in wellness as it describes how
mundane sounds and cacophony around us can be converted. The process of conversion has
been explained in the speaker suggested exercises. These exercises will help in better
concentration and mindfulness. Sound husband described as indicator of time by the speaker.
He has explained by analysing the sound one can actually understand the time frame. Sound
is helpful to understand our present condition by its reverberation and frequency.
Response to Question 3
The video has explain how sound can diverted as well as how important it is in the
mindfulness and concentration in daily living. Student I always use Technology especially
mobile devices. In mobile we usually text and does not talk much. Whenever we talk with
others we are always in hurry to express ourselves. Many times I also did not indulge into an
active communication just for the urge of expressing myself. In daily lives we are losing
connection with our parents and the older adults like our grandparents for lack of
communication. After watching this video I can understand that effective communication and
interpersonal relationships are based on active listening. I experience the beauty of sounds
when I went to a forest for educational excursion from my school. Forest is a very quiet place
so that I could feel the sound of my breath and the sound of Birds. Far from the cacophony of
city life I felt immense peace in the solitude of the forest. The experience gave me the
insights about the different channels for the sounds. Different frequency can influence

4Active listening
multiple emotions in us and gives the idea which emphasises on our insignificance in front
of the nature.
I totally agree with the idea and message in the video as we are losing our connection
with people and with nature fore practice of active listening. The acronym used by the author
is RASA which means receive, appreciate, summarise and ask question. The components of
this acronym are essential inactive communication. Active communication can help the other
person to feel important so that he or she can express her or his own perspective in a better
way. The self-identity and self-worth of an individual and increase by active listening.
Therefore art of listening one of the mandatory skill we should possess.
Response to Question 4
The message of the video has made me think twice about my own philosophies and
beliefs for speaking and listening. Listening I never think of the concept mixer can increase
the quality of listening. The speaker has explain that how phone around us can be segregated
and classified in different channels of sound patterns in our mind. He change the perception
of listening by giving different example such as hi compared the sound of this Tumble Dryer
into beats of waltz. He also emphasized that any spiritual upliftment is only start with active
listening so that we can learn in a better way. Although the “Hinduism” always emphasised
on the fact of “Naadaa Bramha” – which means “sound is God”(Muniandy et al., 2017).
Therefore the art of listening can help us to contemplate ourselves to wards better spirituality
Active listening can help us to improve our interest in learning also. The violence and the
aggressive behaviour are also result of not listening to others (Blake et al. , 2018). Therefore
change my view about violence and crimes happening in world and the underline reasons for
them.
Response to Question 5

5Active listening
The message of active listening is not only powerful but is also landmark. Listening
can help us to become a better human being also mindfulness improve our patients. We can
help us to avoid the harsh and insensitive sounds which are imposed on us by the world.
Therefore we can pay attention with to quite subtle understated things. As a result the world
can become a better place to live. The speaker also suggested that helping and connecting
with each other one can improve the society. I really wonder with the fact that active listening
skill can make one generation sensible and conscious about their surrounding world. His
approach towards others for giving training to the school students and college students
with active listening skills is one of the best thing I have ever think. The acronym “RASA”
and diffident exercises such as “3 minute of silence” in a day, “listening positions”,
“sovority” and “mixer” are some of the most effective practical interventions which can help
any person improve the communication skills.
Conclusion
After answering all the questions on the basis of the video it can only be said that
active listening is as important as better speaking skills full stop communication is not
expressing oneself two other. However the main reasons of communication lies under the
listening skill of an individual which is always underrated in the society. If one can
understand the value of active listening he or she can help the world to make a better and
peaceful place to live also.

6Active listening
References
Blake, K. R., Hopkins, R. E., Sprunger, J. G., Eckhardt, C. I., & Denson, T. F. (2018).
Relationship quality and cognitive reappraisal moderate the effects of negative
urgency on behavioral inclinations toward aggression and intimate partner violence.
Psychology of violence, 8(2), 218.
Celik, O. (2017). The importance of listening in communication. Global Journal of
Psychology Research: New Trends and Issues, 7(1), 8-11.
Elbert, T., Moran, J., & Schauer, M. (2016). Appetitive aggression. In Aggression and
Violence (pp. 129-146). Routledge.
Friston, K., Sajid, N., Quiroga-Martinez, D. R., Parr, T., Price, C. J., & Holmes, E. (2020).
Active Listening. BioRxiv.
Muniandy, R., Viknarasah, R. G., Muthusamy, P., & Kandasamy, S. S. (2017). MULTIPLE
STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS: ANCIENT HINDU SPIRITUAL
PERSPECTIVES. International Journal, 73(9).
Orzechowska, P. (2019). Sonority and Place Constraints in Phonotactics: Evidence from
Reaction Time Experiments. In Complexity in Polish Phonotactics (pp. 165-215).
Springer, Singapore.
TED Talks. (2020). 5 ways to listen better [Video]. Retrieved 31 March 2020, from
https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_5_ways_to_listen_better/transcript#t-
156800.