Katherine Hampsten, associate professor of communication studies at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, has a good analogy for what happens when we listen. She says it’s like a game of catch with a lump of clay. Each person catches it and molds it with their perceptions before tossing it back. Things like education, race, gender, age, relationship with the other person, frame of mind, connotations of words, and distractions all influence how the clay is shaped. Add more people to the game of catch and the complexity and range of meanings increases.
