Listening and Human Communication in the 21st Century

The 21st century brings with it any number of challenges to the world order. Against the overwhelming tide of today′s seemingly dysfunctional world, people are embracing new ways to connect through modern technology, through religious organizations, and through renewed attention to personal and professional relationships. Never has it been so apparent that the world needs listeners. Yet listening is all too often seen as a passive, simple act, rather than as the complex and active part of human communication it is.

Bringing together top listening scholars from various scholarly disciplines and applied, real–world perspectives, Listening and Human Communication in the 21st Century offers a state–of–the–art overview of what we know and think about listening behaviour. From historical perspectives to present theory, to teaching and performing listening in the classroom, in health care, and in corporate settings, this book provides a much–needed introduction to the core issues of listening.

1. Introduction: Perspectives on Listening in the 21st Century (Andrew D. Wolvin, University of Maryland).

Part I: Theoretical Overview of Listening.

2. Listening Engagement: Intersecting Theoretical Perspectives (Andrew D. Wolvin, University of Maryland).

Part II: Listening Research Methods.

3. Qualitative Research: Critical for Understanding Listening (Michael W. Purdy, Governors State University).

4. Quantitative Research in Listening: Explication and Overview ( Graham D. Bodie, Louisiana State University and Margaret Fitch–Hauser, Auburn University).

Part III: Listening As a Cognitive and Relational Activity.

5. What Is Going On in the Mind of the Listener?  The Cognitive Psychology of Listening (Margarete Imhof, Johann Wolfgang Goethe–Universität Frankfurt).

6. Listening: A Dialogic Perspective (James J. Floyd, University of Central Missouri).

7. The Skills of Listening–Centered Communication (Judi Brownell, Cornell University).

8. Listening in a Second Language (John Flowerdew and Lindsay Miller, both Hong Kong University).

Part IV: Listening in Contexts.

9. Listening Practices: Are We Getting Any Better? (Sheila C. Bentley, Bentley Consulting).

10. Listening Pedagogy: Where Do We Go From Here? (Laura A. Janusik, Rockhurst University).

11. Perspectives on Intercultural Listening (Melissa L. Beall, University of Northern Iowa).

12. Listening in Spirituality and Religion (Diana Corley Schnapp, former Executive Director of the International Listening Association).

13. The Integrative Listening Model (Kathleen Thompson, Pamela Leintz, Barbara Nevers, and Susan Witkowski, all Alverno College).

Andrew D. Wolvin is Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland, USA. He has published extensively in the International Journal of Listening, and he is the author of several books, including Perspectives on Listening (with Carolyn Coakley, 1993), Listening (with Carolyn Coakley, 1996), Listening in the Quality Organization (1999), Handbook of Public Communication (with Roy Berko and Darlyn Wolvin, 2005), Communicating: A Social, Career and Cultural Focus (with Roy Berko and Darlyn Wolvin, 2010), and What Every Student Should Know About Listening (with Judi Brownell, 2010).