This Unit 3 lecture shifts from the “what” of listening to the “why” and “how” by introducing the major theories scholars use to explain listening. The unit’s main goal is to analyze and evaluate listening models—not just define them—so students can diagnose breakdowns and choose better responses in real conversations. The lecture traces how listening became a formal area of study in the mid-20th century, grew into a structured subfield in the 1980s with models like Brownell’s HURIER, and later expanded to include emotion, empathy, identity, culture, and relational dynamics.

To make theory practical, the lecture uses one scenario throughout: a coworker, Maya, says, “I feel like I’m carrying most of the weight on this project. I need you to take more initiative.” The HURIER Model breaks listening into six stages—hearing, understanding, remem ...