DISCUSSION 1

Briefly describe the difference between active and passive listening in your own words, supporting your explanation with a citation. You may use resources provided in the module reading and resources area, or a scholarly resource of your choice.

Then, think about your own life. Can you think of an example of when someone actively listened to you and how that felt different from standard, “passive” listening?

DISCUSSION 2

  Respond to Katie and Kiley post by working to expand their discussion by contributing unique, relevant content (personal/professional experiences or examples) or by expanding and adding depth to the thoughts and ideas shared by your peers (presenting different strategies in the book, or new ideas and thoughts, or similar personal/professional experiences to connect with). 

Katie post

I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I sometimes attack situations with both a fixed and growth mindset. I think a lot of the time it depends on the situation or who the feedback is coming from to be able to properly gage how you will respond.

I used to work in a call center for a clothing company. Part of my job required us to have feedback sessions with our managers. During these sessions we would listen to a call you had taken, and they would explain to you how you could improve. One time, I had a call pulled where I had spoken over a customer. My manager had explained that I needed to fully listen before responding to the customer. I took this feedback with a growth mindset, applied it in my work, and afterwards received high markings on future feedback sessions.

I really enjoyed Amelia Manning’s message in this week’s video. She talks about short term and long-term goals and I really appreciated the part where she described that long term goals can change. She spoke about how you may not have seen yourself in the position that you are in and that is okay because you will either succeed or learn from the mistake and be able to apply what you learned from it to move on. I believe I really resonated with that part because I always imagined I would have went to college right after high school, but my path did not take me that way. I used lessons I learned in the past to get me to where I am today.

Kiley post  

Working, a 12 step program of recovery means getting feedback of all kinds from many people. One of the steps in this program is admitting your character defects. Like many people, I had great difficulty with this. I was unaware of most of my defects but, I was open minded in listening to my closest friends who truly wanted to help. By honestly and openly listening I could understand why I did the things I did and learn how I could be a better person if I worked on these defects or bad habits. I have learned that many addicts before me have stayed clean and sober by having the honesty to admit their defects, the open-mindedness to listen to others suggestions and to have the willingness to do what others before them suggest them to do. By staying in a growth mindset you are open to leaning new ideas, meeting new people and learning new ways to live. For me that is what my life depends on.

I have also learned from a closed mindset. Years ago I had tried recovery before. I remember hearing all these people with 10, 15 and 20 year clean and sober telling me to go to meetings, don’t get complacent, talk about times when you feel like using. I felt like I was cured with only 4 years sober and that I knew more than they did. I didn’t want to hear anything anyone had to say to say to me because I felt like I knew it all. The end result was a major relapse that lasted years. I finally made it back and this time I am listening to what I hear. I am grateful I had the jarring experience I had and that I was fortunate enough to make it back a second time because I’m not taking it lightly this time. I am able o look back and see my mistakes and learn from them his time around.

DISCUSSION 3

 Respond to Lindsey and Marley post and propose how the opposite approach of listening might have changed their experience, supporting your opinion with examples from the text or online. 

Lindsey post

When most people are listening to another person talk, they are thinking about how they agree or disagree with the person who is speaking and what they are going to respond with, rather than listening to understand what they are saying. To me, this is the difference between active and passive listening. When we listen to understand it gives the person who is talking the respect that they are being heard, which according to William Ury, a leading expert in negotiation, might be the key to opening the door to human relationships (TEDx Talks, 2015).

Thinking about my own life and a time when someone actively listened to me is a hard memory to find. TEDx Talks (2015), discussed the noise in our minds as being the main reason it is so hard to actively listen. That most of us do not possess the mental or emotional space to truly listen to another side because of all the background noise and distraction. He says that if we want to learn to listen to the other side that we must learn to first listen to ourselves. I agree with this because until you can learn to be present in the moment and truly quiet the mind there is no way to practice active listening. When I think about social media and the context of society at the current time it seems like people are generally talking more and listening less than ever before. I plan to continue improving on my own active listening skills by continuing to practice mindfulness meditation.

Marley post

Active listening is when the person listening is fully concentrated on your words, they are understanding what you are saying and also remembering what you are saying. This is used a lot in counseling to be able to help solve conflicts. Passive listening is when someone is listening without reacting, you’re allowing someone to speak without interrupting them, but it’s a one-way communication where there isn’t any feedback being provided. They don’t have any questions and the listener may not understand what is entirely being said.

An example I can think of of active listening is when I’m talking to my best friend, I tell her my problems or situations that are happening and she gives me feedback and I know she is actually listening to what I am saying. Also vice versa she tells me situations happening in her life and I try to give her advice on what to do or how to go about the situations. An example of passive listening would be basically any conversation I have with my mother. I’ll tell her something and she either says absolutely nothing or doesn’t respond to my texts about it. I know she’s listening but most of the time it is a one-sided conversation. I will call her out on it sometimes when she doesn’t respond though!

DISCUSSION 4

Reply to Sarkis and Rodrigo and be constructive and professional.

Sarkis post

The CAGE Distance Framework is a useful tool that can help identify Culture, Administrative, Geographical, and Economic differences between the countries that a company serves or is looking into expanding in and how those countries would require different strategies in terms of marketing. For example, at its surface a major difference between counties can be language and how translation of languages can have different connotations or not represent the thought in the same way Customs, traditions, and importance of work ethic are all essential elements of determining whether a company should or should not enter the market. Cultural differences set the foundation of international expansion because it is a delicate aspect which can be difficult to gauge or navigate. Cultural differences can have a major impact on consumer values and ultimately spending. If you don’t get it right, it could be detrimental. For example, if you choose to operate a liquor company in a country in the middle east you might find yourself unsuccessful. Because not only do most people not consume alcohol due to cultural or religious beliefs, but also because it is banned in some countries.

Rodrigo post

The CAGE Distance Framework is a tool used by managers that can be used to uncover important differences between various countries. The acronym stands for Culture, Administrative, Geographical, and Economic. This tool not only determines physical geographical distance, but also figurative distances between cultures, economies and work ethics. The CAGE framework carefully analyzes these forces, and determines how well a comparable market would function in a different country. This allows for a company to effectively develop a unique range of products and services that match the local conditions and structures. Utilizing the CAGE framework also helps management of organizations that want to expand identify differences beforehand in the areas of culture, administration, geography, and economy. Cultural differences, for example, can determine whether your business will be successful or not. If your product doesn’t add value or meet the needs/wants of the local markets, there is no need to expand to that area. Consumer behaviors are highly influenced by culture, and when moving into a new market, your business model needs to reflect the local preferences, customs, and habits.