Week 16: Discussion Question #3

3). Pick one other concept in the book (any chapter) that you feel needs further discussion?

A topic in the book that stood out to me and I felt was an important aspect to book is the four components of listening. The book states "Listening involves four sequential components experienced in rapid succession. We must sense or hear the message, interpret or provide meaning to the message, evaluate the content of the message, and retain and respond to the message in the context of than ongoing communication event." (Harris, 130)

I feel that the four components of listening or essential to having a group work successfully. If you do not follow these four steps there will be failure in a group. I know there have been many situations of small groups that I have experienced a lack of one of these four components and my group had lead to failure. If we choose to avoid any of these concepts it is impossible to have success. Listening is a key component to communication with a small group or with anyone and without these concepts we would always be lead to failure and that is why it is so important to always have in mind these four components, so success can always be achieved.

An example of failure that I have experience was small group at school for an in class assignment. One of the classmates in my group was very narrow-minded and did not want to hear the message that we as a group were relaying to her. She wanted to have things her way and her way only. Now, as a group this made things difficult. In short, She ended up doing the assignment completely wrong because she would not listen to the instruction and ideas of the group. She was not accepting the messages we were giving her and not evaluating the messages correctly. This hurt the group and led us straight to failure because we could not work well together as a group.