Active Listening as a Radio Receiver

A response to the Misunderstood Activity
created by MAJED MOUAZEN (@MMouazen)

Number of views: 166

I teach Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, and a concept that students often struggle with is Active Listening. To help explain this topic to students, I use the analogy of Active Listening as a Radio Receiver. Imagine active listening as being similar to tuning a radio to hear your favorite station clearly. In this scenario, you play the role of the radio, and the person speaking is like the radio station. To actively listen, you’ll need to pay close attention, much like you would when turning the dial on a radio. The speaker’s message is akin to the radio broadcast. Active listening entails concentrating on not only what they’re saying but also their emotions, much like a radio filter out background noise. Think of an old radio: you’re the radio itself, the dial represents your focus, the antenna symbolizes your undivided attention on the speaker, the speaker’s message is comparable to the radio station’s broadcast, and any distractions can be likened to static interference. This analogy helps students grasp the concept that active listening is about tuning in and capturing the message clearly while blocking out any surrounding distractions.

To break this into small chunks , we use Visual Metaphorical Representation (Visualize a vintage radio receiver):

  • Radio Receiver (Active Listener): You represent the radio receiver, which is the key to tuning into the speaker’s message.
  • Dial and Antenna (Attention and Focus): The dial symbolizes your attention, and the antenna represents your focus on the speaker.
  • Broadcast Station (Speaker’s Message): The broadcast station is the message coming from the speaker.
  • Static and Noise (Distractions): Static and noise are distractions that need to be filtered out for clear reception.