Student Assessment
All courses offered through The Ministerial Seminary of America are academic in nature. The following assessment test is for your personal use to help you determine if you are comfortable with the skill level necessary to complete our courses of study successfully. This self-practice test is generic and not specific to any particular course of study.
Self-Practice Test
Assignment:
Read the excerpt below, regarding communication, and then answer the questions that follow:
Source:
Lindahl, Kay (2002). The Sacred Art of Listening. Woodstock, VT: Skylight Paths Publishing. Pg83-
The Agenda-Free Conversation
Listening With Openness
Listening doesn't always happen when two or more people are talking. Conversations can be like tag-team monologues, each person waiting for the other to stop speaking so that each can take turns presenting their case. There's not much listening for understanding going on when each side is trying to convince the other that their position is the right one, or that they have the answer, or that they know what's best for you. Why listen? Why talk?
Letting go of the desire to be right or to be nice or to seek approval, not only when listening but also when speaking, takes work. Guidelines for successful talking and listening are designed to remind us of the purpose of dialogue - to listen for understanding, to share and exchange ideas, and to seek new insights that were not present at the start. It takes practice to loosen our attachments to our own agendas.
Answer the following questions in your own words:
1. Why doesn't listening always happen when two or more people are talking?
2. According to the author, what is the purpose of dialogue?
3. Write a paragraph or two that is self-reflective that attempts to describe how you currently listen to others.