COM 2206 Assignment 2 Listening: Self-Reflection on LSP-R and TEDx

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

The Power of Listening: A Self-Reflection Through LSP-R and TEDx Engagement

Introduction

Listening is more than hearing, it’s an energetic and intentional process that builds the way we connect, direct, and engage with the world around us. The Listening Styles Profile-Revised (LSP-R) defines the behaviors of listening as four styles: relational, analytical, task-centered, and critical. Understanding how each style influences individual communication has the potential to enhance our empathy, sharpen our minds, and enhance our engagement in civic and leadership contexts. In this essay, I reflect on my LSP-R scores, analyze my listening experience of Shomari Payne’s TEDx talk . The Inheritance of Poverty, inspect obstacles which interfered with my engagement, and graph paraphrasing exercises to confirm understanding. Combined, these reflections identify my strengths and weaknesses as an active and reflective listener.

Listening Styles and My LSP-R Results

The LSP-R scores indicated clear evidence of my tendencies toward listening. I scored 42/42 on relational, analytical, and critical listening, while my task-oriented score was 22/42, the lowest among the four.

Relational Listening – 42/42

Relational listening is about emotional connection and empathy. This score solidified that I truly empathize with people on an emotional level. While I was sitting through Payne’s TEDx presentation, I was not just hearing his words, I was feeling him on an emotional level. It speaks very much to my passion for servant leadership and advocacy for the marginalized.

Analytical Listening – 42/42

Analytical listeners place a premium on exact reasoning and consider several viewpoints before drawing conclusions. I tend to utilize this style in listening to political systems, making policy interpretation, or drafting strategic civic forums. My score indicates how much I appreciate clarity and accuracy in intricate conversations.

Task-Oriented Listening – 22/42

Task-oriented listening is effectiveness and goal achievement oriented. Scoring lowest on this was surprising in light of my strategic approach, but it indicated that in listening, I am more concerned with depth than speed. My mind naturally gravitates towards knowing and understanding in depth more than acting in haste.

Critical Listening – 42/42

Critical listening is assessing credibility and logic. A perfect score of 42 in this area shows my tendency to critique concepts and look at complicated stories particularly regarding systemic problems such as inequality and poverty.

Reflection

My findings show that I am emotionally intelligent and intellectually resilient in my engagement. The lower task-oriented score was a reminder that listening is not just about answering quickly, it’s about actually getting context and human beings. This balance is key to inclusive leadership and reflective conversation.

Listening Styles in Action: Analyzing the TEDx Talk

Of the four styles, I was most attracted to relational and critical listening, both of which align with my highest scores on the LSP-R. COM 2206 Assignment 2 | Listening – The Power of Listening: A Self-Reflection Through LSP-R and TEDx Engagement

Relational Listening

Payne’s own reflections regarding generational poverty and his own emotional vulnerability drew me to him. I found myself relating fully to his message, reflecting on civic empowerment and pondering how his story could be translated into youth participation and forums. By doing so, it allowed me to listen empathetically and carefully.

Critical Listening

I also made a deliberate evaluation of the sense and structure of Payne’s communication. His poverty metaphor of being passed “like a family heirloom” encouraged me to analyze institutional barriers and apply his story to broader political education methods. Such a tone helped me read sense as well as his words.

Alignment with My Scores

Yes, my LSP-R results paralleled exactly what I experienced. My high relational and critical results were exactly present as I listened, and my lower task-oriented result was present in how I let the message develop instead of requesting instantaneous takeaways.

Listening Breakthrough: Controlling Fast Thinking

One of the main obstacles I encountered during the talk was fast thinking, the psychological inclination to think faster than the pace of the speaker.

Occasionally, Payne’s zealous narration caused my mind to leap ahead, connecting his experience to policy, civic ideas, and workshop design before he had finished making his point. While these thoughts were helpful, they briefly pulled me away from deep listening.

In order to stay anchored, I paused the video, took notes, and rewound sections. This allowed me to be in the moment and gave me greater insight into how to manage cognitive speed when listening intensely.

Paraphrasing Messages: Factual and Personal Reflection

As outlined in section 8.4.3 of the textbook, paraphrasing occurs in two forms:

Factual paraphrasing- summarizes the speaker’s core content.

Personal paraphrasing- expresses the speaker’s underlying thoughts, emotions, or desires.

Factual Paraphrase:

“So you’re saying poverty isn’t just about money, it’s a generational cycle influenced by broken systems and lack of opportunity.”

This paraphrase captures Payne’s underlying message about systemic poverty.

Personal Paraphrase:

“It appears that you sense a deep sense of responsibility not just to transcend your history, but to also honor your family’s strength and help other individuals to transcend the same obstacles.”

This paraphrase captures the emotional richness and mission of Payne’s experience and message.

Both of these paraphrases reflect how I received his message, not just intellectually, but empathetically affirming my commitment to listen with understanding and empathy.

Conclusion

Listening is a multifaceted skill that is shaped by emotion, intellect, and purpose. Through my LSP-R test and analysis of Dcd Info Graphics founder Shomari Payne’s TEDx talk, I’ve observed I communicate most deeply through relational and critical listening. These styles support my work in civic leadership and community-building, where empathy and discernment are key. Despite barriers like rapid thought, I’ve strengthened my awareness and developed practical strategies to remain present. Ultimately, listening is a powerful tool for systemic change, personal growth, and social understanding, and I’m committed to cultivating it every day. COM 2206 Assignment 2 | Listening – The Power of Listening: A Self-Reflection Through LSP-R and TEDx Engagement

Instructions

Assignment 2 Listening

For this assignment, you will reference the video you chose to review from the options provided and the Listening Styles Profile (LSP-R) assessment you completed last week. If you did not complete the LSP-R assignment, or you did not watch one of the videos on the “Exercise Your Listening” page, go back to the last topic and complete these two activities, they are linked above.

The assignment will focus on listening styles (task-oriented, relational, analytical, critical); your LSP-R assessment, listening barriers, and paraphrasing.

Writing Assignment Instructions:

In the first part of your paper, define the four listening styles using your textbook, and discuss your LSP-R scores for each of the listening styles. Each listening style should be a separate paragraph. In your discussion, provide your scores for each of the listening styles. Which styles did you score higher in? Which styles did you score lower in? What surprised you about your results on the LSP-R? Based on this data, what do you conclude about your listening?

In the next part of your paper, identify at least two listening styles you engaged with when watching the video. Provide supporting details as to why those styles were the ones you identified with most. Also, did your scores on the LSP-R agree with your experience watching the video? Why or why not? Be sure to include supporting details and specific examples to support your findings.

The listening chapter identifies several barriers we encounter when it comes to listening (information overload, personal concerns, noise, rapid thought). In the third section of your paper, identify at least one barrier you experienced when listening to the video. Be sure to include supporting details and specific examples to support your findings. COM 2206 Assignment 2 | Listening – The Power of Listening: A Self-Reflection Through LSP-R and TEDx Engagement

The listening chapter informs us about paraphrasing messages we believe the speaker sent. In the last part of your paper, think about the overall messages in the video that you listened to. In section 8.4.3, your textbook identifies two types of paraphrase. The first is a paraphrase of factual information, or summarizing the content of what the speaker was talking about. The second, and more difficult type of paraphrase, is a paraphrase of personal information where you paraphrase the underlying message about the speaker’s thoughts, feelings and wants. In this paragraph of your paper, define each type of paraphrase and provide an example of each, as you would say it back to the speaker in a conversation. Provide one of each type of paraphrase about what the speaker said in the video. (Note: Remember, you are paraphrasing…NOT “parrot-phrasing” or repeating exactly what you just heard in the video! Use your own words.) Show in your paraphrasing that you can accurately restate key ideas or emotions in your own words to confirm understanding and show engagement with the speaker’s perspective.

Additional Details:

Your paper should be typed, 3-5 pages long, and double spaced.

The paper should also be proofread, and mistakes in grammar, spelling, sentence structure, formatting and other areas of paper mechanics should be kept to a minimum.

Include a complete introduction to the paper that includes a thesis statement introducing the main ideas of the paper. Organize the body of the paper into main ideas that fit with your thesis statement. Include a conclusion to the paper that reviews and summarizes the paper.

In each section, your instructor will also evaluate your inclusion of additional, academic evidence to support the minimum requirements. Evidence may include additional information from the textbook, personal experiences analyzed regarding the concept, or specific examples from the LSP-R activity.

Include proper in-text citations in either APA or MLA format; be certain that you include the textbook definitions of the concepts you use and that you cite these definitions correctly. Sources that you Google or other external sources will not be accepted, we expect you to use your required course textbook, Interplay, 16th Edition. A works cited or reference page should be included at the end of your paper.

Please refer to the Grading Rubric to understand what your instructor expects: COM 2206 Assignment 2 | Listening – The Power of Listening: A Self-Reflection Through LSP-R and TEDx Engagement