Running head: LISTENING STYLES

Listening Styles
Darci D. Adams
College of Western Idaho

LISTENING STYLES

The article that I chose to review is Discovering the Listener Within Us: The Impact of
Trait-Like Personality Variables and Communicator Styles on Preferences for Listening Style.
I chose this article because I wanted to learn more about listening styles and this article takes it a
step further than the Real Communication textbook. The basis of this article is finding a
connection between personality types and communication styles and how they affect our
listening style. This is a study analysis, therefore it contains a lot of method and measurement
based data. While the outcome of that data is important, I will be focusing my research on the
connections between our personality traits and how that impacts ones listening style.
Page 2 (Listening Styles) states the need to test previous assumptions that people tend to
listen in a habitual manner, which may lead an individual to chose one specific listening style
regardless of the situation (Shiffrin & Schneider, 1977). This study suggests that more attention
is given to how personality affects the speaker than to how it affects the listener (Pg 2). Watson,
Barker and Weaver formulated four underlying dimensions that define a persons preferred
learning style. These dimensions include people, content, action and time oriented listeners (Pg
2). It goes on to give specific examples of how each listening style is portrayed through the
process of communication. Villaume and Bodie believe that these listening styles are dependent
on personality of the speaker rather than the listening style of the receiver (Pg 3). I found this
interesting because what they suggest is that each person responds differently depending on the
personality that they encounter. So instead of having a set mannerism in our listening style, we
are capable of encompassing all of the above.
In the Real Communication textbook we learned about schemas and how it affects our
interpretation and process of information that we have developed within them (OHair,WiemannPg 40). Villaume and Bodie suggest that based on Bems Gender Schema Theory (GST), that

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ones schemas are derived from gender, regardless of a persons individual experiences (Pg 4).
According to GST a masculine orientation reflects an independent, assertive and ambitious
perspective while a feminine orientation reflects a relational, sensitive and affectionate
perspective (Pg 4). The use of GST in this study is used to validate how gender influences
schemas and in turn reflects ones preferred listening styles. This theory goes on to compare
personality traits of masculinity as dominate and independent and feminine as submissive and
dependent. Based on what we learned above; listening styles are influenced according to
personality traits. GST suggests that gender is the foundation of ones personality; as such it also
implies that gender is responsible for ones listening style. Villaume and Bodie use this theory
as a means to support gender role and personality (Pg4). GST suggests that regardless of what a
persons history, experience or philosophy schema is determined by gender. The use of this
information is a key element to the components of this study. I find this theory to be interesting
but contrary to what the definition of schema means. I think that gender plays an important role
of how ones schema is developed but is not set entirely by masculine or feminine perspectives. I
found this to be of interest because if this study is accurate, then ones listening style is based
completely on gender.
This study includes many other variables such as communication style, receiver
apprehension, interpersonal and communication motives just to name a few (Pg7-8). While each
area influences the end result of the study, not one specific area concluded the final result. The
result of the study found that communication style and apprehension variables yielded the
clearest association between listening styles (Pg 10). The end result found that Villaume and
Bodies initial assumption regarding personality and listening styles was much more complicated
than they originally thought (Pg 18). The study concluded that people-oriented style is the only

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pure listening style supported by this interval level analysis (Pg 19). I found then end result to be
similar to what I have learned from the Real Communication textbook. The result also reinforces
what was stated on page 2 of the report that individuals chose one specific listening style
regardless of the situation. The study goes on to explain there are four other components that
influence or affect personality traits and listening styles but without further research they cannot
be deemed measureable. In conclusion the study stated that Villaume and Boides report has
offered the most comprehensive and heuristic description of how listening styles, communicator
styles and personality are related to each other (Pg 20) and admits that further research is clearly
warranted. I thought the results were interesting because they approached the report with so
much data and analysis that I was certain that there would be an obvious connection between
how personality and gender of the speaker determine listening style. However, the research
showed something different altogether. I think the most obvious finding of this study is that of
course personality and gender influence listening styles but so does schema, communication
style, apprehension, and many other factors that may not have been accounted for.
The content of this report reflects my personal struggle in demonstrating supportive
listening. My hope was to gain a better understanding of how my listening style is subject to my
personality and how I would be able to improve these qualities. This report contained so much
information, most of which was unnecessary in the end based on the studies final conclusion.
This study suggested that listening styles are more in depth than initially thought because there
are so many factors that influence it. What I learned is that my listening style may be influenced
by many factors including the communication style or personality of the speaker, but I ultimately
have control on how I respond and chose to listen.

LISTENING STYLES
References
OHair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real Communication. United States: Bedford/St. Martins
Villaume, W. A., & Bodie, G. D. (2007). Discovering the Listener Within Us: The Impact of
Trait-Like Personality Variables and Communicator Styles on Preferences for Listening Style.
International Journal Of Listening, 21(2), 102-123.