Practical Book Review: Why Don’t We Listen Better? Communicating and Connecting in Relationships
Angel M. Perez
Liberty University
HSCO 508
Practical Book Review: Why Don’t We Listen Better? Communicating and Connecting in Relationships
Summary
In his book, Why Don’t We Listen Better? Communicating and Connecting in Relationships, James C. Petersen (2007) does an excellent job at conveying the importance of the skills set required for successful interpersonal communication. The author, Petersen (2007), endeavors to teach listening and talking skills, which will serve to improve professional and personal relationships with others. The author begins by attempting to impart to the reader the importance of communication, and describes the expectations of his book. Petersen (2007) discusses the numerous issues that people struggle with along with thought provoking solutions.
Petersen (2007) goes on to explain what he calls the flat-brain theory. The theory suggests that individuals become confused differentiating between feelings, thoughts, and their relation. He to the three as the heart, head, and stomach. The author describes the stomach, head, and heart as all having a function, regarding our thoughts and emotions. Stomach talk functions to translate feelings into words, which is accomplished by connecting a person to others with similar feelings. Heart talk functions to translate a person’s ownership into words, which serves to inform people of our concerns while communicating that there is opportunity for the other person to input their thoughts as well. Head talk translates one’s thoughts into words. While it is mostly factual, it is almost always debatable (Petersen, 2007).
The flat-brain syndrome is illustrated by what occurs when a person’s systems get unmanageable. As a result, a person cannot act sensibly, see clearly, think straight, or hear accurately. Petersen (2007) informs the reader that in order to...