Listening

Reviews / Votes

"Meticulously researched and supported by established and emerging lines of study, this book proves to be a vast, accessible introduction to over one hundred listening styles. Expanding on what it means to listen, the authors and the entire research team make a significant contribution to the fields of listening and communication, and to all of us who seek deeper and more authentic connections with our communities."

Jesus A. Calderon Gonzalez, Collaboration Manager, The Civic Canopy.

"The authors have produced a delightfully comprehensive resource guide for scholars and practitioners of listening. This book is an accessible treasure-trove of listening work that answers all of my (many) questions about listening; it is truly the book that I, as a researcher and teacher, have been longing for."

Ralina L. Joseph, Professor of Race and Communication, University of Washington, USA.

"This work is a huge accomplishment for any working with listening, either conceptual or applied. It provides a starting place for researchers who understand and want to further advance our knowledge in this necessary, important, yet usually overlooked area. Speaking dominates, but listening is the harder skill! As a practitioner who trains service dogs, owns and runs a company dedicated to inclusivity and diversity, and advocates for disability justice in a variety of spheres, I encourage my staff and colleagues to use their listening to move beyond words and language to the nonverbals, observations, body language, tone, and pace that builds strong relationships with clients and helps service dogs reach their highest potential."

Robert L. Ballard, Former Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Communication, Pepperdine University, USA.

"Listening: The Key Concepts is a welcome correction to common reductionist inquiry and willbecome the handbook of every research agenda and organization that values listening. Truly international in scope, this timely compendium will prove profoundly useful for every student and practitioner interested in listening phenomena. The bibliography is a treasure-trove of the most comprehensive reference materials, identifying myriad contexts and styles that determine how the listener must perform. I know of no other resource that so extensively catalogs the multi-faceted dimensions of listening. At this crucial time when few know what constitutes listening, let alone know how to effectively and artfully practice it, the co-authors Parks, Faw, and Lane penetrate the 'forest of symbols' through which researchers attempt to study and spell out listening practices. They provide a clarion call to all desiring to better listen."

Jerry Catt, retired Instructor, Boise State University, USA.

"In Listening: The Key Concepts, the authors produce a resource for scholars of listening that is unprecedented. Most scholars who study listening will be surprised by the number of others who are also studying listening. The authors describe 177 items of what they call listening styles and name another 112 items (styles) that deserve future consideration. These descriptions, even though necessarily short, are very well done. Hopefully, this extensive group will provide opportunities for new research partners for a lot of scholars. It is unfortunate that the reality of publication space limits other descriptions, given the description skill of these authors."

Richard D. Halley, Emeritus Professor, Weber State University, USA.

"As a college professor, I am always seeking those particular works that provide a lens for seeing relationships, both within and beyond the classroom, in transformative ways. Listening: The Key Concepts provides not only a new lens, but a lens of such comprehensive scope, it is impossible to not recognize one's self within this work. It has transformed how I envision the exchange of ideas and participation in the learning process. With its inclusive and encouraging approach, Listening: The Key Concepts will serve as a touchstone to evaluate my own engagement in listening, as well as the role this activity plays in the classroom experience for myself and my students."

Kimberly Harding, Professor of Science, Colorado Mountain College, USA.

"Must have listening book on the shelves of all the healthcare libraries and medical educators. Listening: The Key Concepts gives comprehensive insights into everything you need to know about listening styles. The well thought through layout makes it super easy to access the relevant content. The book is a priceless gift by Parks, Faw, and Lane to all the medical educators across the world."

Krishna Naineni, General Practitioner and Medical Educator, UK.

"Parks, Faw, and Lane have written a comprehensive listening text that addresses the immense diversity of listening styles and types. It is a welcome addition to our listening-centered courses and scholars' libraries."

Katie Place, Professor of Public Relations, Quinnipiac University, USA

"This research takes a diverse range of listening styles (177 examples) and presents them in a listing that helps one navigate the whole field and practice of listening. This text presents extensive research useful for all concerned about a world where people need to know about listening; it provides the key to transforming our lives, our cultures and our world. The text demonstrates that listening is a rich and diverse field, and the research behind it can help us better understand our listening styles and how they are part of everyday life's relationships, and society."

Michael Purdy, Professor Emeritus, Governors State University, USA.

"These overviews - written in a way that is accessible to scholars and practitioners - inspired me to reflect more meaningfully about the different listening styles I use, and just as importantly, it made me more aware of the different listening styles other people use in their professions, cultures, or various social settings and their reasons for employing those listening styles. This comprehensive survey is full of helpful insights that I will incorporate into my work as a leader and facilitator to be more adaptive in my communication with others."

Matt Rosendahl, MLIS, Library Director, University of Minnesota Duluth, USA.

"Listening: The Key Concepts illuminates listening as many practices of love rather than just a means to an end. In these pages I found academic voices rooted in the daily lived experience of diverse communities, seeking ways of listening to people that elevate their dignity and meet their particular needs in meaningful ways. I've worked in fields of religion, politics, and humanitarian aid where listening is too often regarded as a means to an end. In Listening: The Key Concepts we have a deep resource of approaches that helps us move toward our shared humanity and the way of love."

Morgan Schmidt, Nonprofit Executive Director & Community Leader.

"For those of us who work in caring professions where listening well and with care is vital to the work we do, this book is a valuable field guide that makes the knowledge of listening experts available to all. To see the full scope of listening styles laid out, defined and cross referenced enables professional care-givers to not only understand their own listening on a significantly deeper level, but it also helps them to distinguish between what type of listening might best be employed at any given moment in time."

Ashley Van Dragt, Pastoral Ministry and Non-Profit Management.

"Listening: The Key Concepts is a thoughtfully and intentionally designed resource for scholars in any phase of the research process. For scholars new to studying listening or for scholars mentoring student researchers, these brief entries are engaging with key references provided to spark a deeper dive into specific scholarship. For more established listening scholars, this is a go-to resource to distinguish between conceptualizations of listening appearing in other disciplines. Being able to consult this work will improve the quality of interdisciplinary listening scholarship and articulation of listening to key audiences."

Andrea Vickery, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, State University of New York at Oswego, USA.

"As a community college professor, I teach about the importance of listening in all of the classes I instruct. Listening: The Key Concepts is a comprehensive reference guide for my students and me as we learn more about the complexities of listening across various contexts. This book provides useful background along with relevant readings for instructors and students who want to learn more about specific listening styles."

Anne Zmyslinski-Seelig, Associate Professor of Communication, Central Oregon Community College, USA.