Merja Karppinen,

DrSc (Econ), Director of Language Centre, LAB University of Applied Sciences

The Art of Listening

Technology is changing people. How has the digital age changed us and our way of communication? In online communication settings we are left talking alone to an invisible and silent audience. Is anybody listening?

For too long time in communication studies and language learning, we have emphasized presentation skills and talking in foreign languages. We boast about being able to speak in several languages. But how about our listening skills? Now more than ever, we need to focus on active listening. We can learn from high context cultures about this. We can also consciously create active listeners to online learning.

The aim of my presentation is to raise interest in fostering listening skills.