Prince Harry - Ah ! When one hears this name, there are a few things which come up instantly in the mind. Spoilt brat, party animal, poor student, rowdy Royal, Chelsy Davy (his girlfriend), nighclub adventures and brawls and the Nazi uniform that he wore at a dress-up party. Unlike his father,The Prince of Wales, and his brother Prince William, Harry has always been the centre focus of the media and is known for his very different attitude. It's a famous saying -
" Controversies and Prince Harry go hand-in-hand".
Even though we don’t use our ears when reading an article like this, I still strongly believe that there are many similarities between the article about Prince Harry and the characteristics involved in being an informational listener.According to Adler, Rodman, and Sevigny(143),
“informational listening is the approach taken when you want to understand another person.”
“informational listening is the approach taken when you want to understand another person.”
The goal in being effective at this is to make sure that you are receiving the same concepts that the person intends to send. It sounds simple, but believe me, its not. Many a times a listener misunderstands the main topic, or gets lost in the explanation. In this blog I hope to discuss a few tips on good listening and relate it to the article about Prince Harry.
We should always try not to judge anyone prematurely, however a lot of people, myself included, are guilty of that crime. By judging too soon we are jumping to our own conclusions (Adler, Rodman, and Sevigny 143). If you are the manager of a company and an employee is late, you will gain nothing by firing him just because you think that he is too lazy to show up on time. Instead you should wait to hear his side of the story because it may be legitimate. Bryan Veloso, the writer of a blog called Prince Harry’s Blog, has said,
“Was [the plan to send Prince Harry to Afghanistan] more than a photo opportunity, really, and a PR gimmick for the royal family? It would be hard to convince me otherwise!”
“Was [the plan to send Prince Harry to Afghanistan] more than a photo opportunity, really, and a PR gimmick for the royal family? It would be hard to convince me otherwise!”
Before reading the article about Prince Harry, I would have agreed with Veloso's blog because I was completely against the idea of him joining the military in Afghanistan. 
I thought Prince Harry was going there only for ‘publicity' and to show that he ‘cared’ .His presence there,however, did put the military in a grave situation because he could be the target of any enemy. However after reading the article, I know that my judgedement was premature. The prince’s stay in Afghanistan was a secret for many months. He was referred to as Lieutenant Harry Wales and not ‘Prince Harry’ (http://youtube.com/watch?v=thury77xYk4). So clearly he was not a danger to his troops because the enemy didn’t even know he was there. According to Prince Harry ,
“I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."
I thought Prince Harry was going there only for ‘publicity' and to show that he ‘cared’ .His presence there,however, did put the military in a grave situation because he could be the target of any enemy. However after reading the article, I know that my judgedement was premature. The prince’s stay in Afghanistan was a secret for many months. He was referred to as Lieutenant Harry Wales and not ‘Prince Harry’ (http://youtube.com/watch?v=thury77xYk4). So clearly he was not a danger to his troops because the enemy didn’t even know he was there. According to Prince Harry ,“I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."
Its after his this statement that I realised that I was kinda wrong about him. He just wants to get away from all the hustle and bustle associated with being a Prince and wants to experience the life of a commoner for a while.
Disliking a speaker should not stop you from receiving the message(s) he is trying to send to you. To become better listeners, we should always try to “separate the message from the speaker”(Adler, Rodman, and Sevigny 144). If you don’t like a writer of an article, you many think that they have nothing valuable to say, and that could be very misguiding. Even the most boring person could make some good points occasionally and you will only be hurting yourself by not receiving that message. When I first read the article, I was a little turned off by Sir Richard Dannatt (who is head of the British army). I come from a country where military leaders are not looked highly upon because they are seen as corrupted and selfish. After reading Sir Dannatt’s view on the issue at hand, I now understand and respect his reasoning. He believes that the Prince should not have been sent to Afghanistan but he has come to an understanding with the British media not to broadcast Prince Harry's whereabouts. Despite the kind of person Sir Dannatt is, I have managed to separate the speaker (him) from the message and in the end I have come out with some good ideas.
Have you ever spoken to someone for an hour or so and after speaking to them wondered what on earth was the main point of that long talk? To avoid a situation like this, try to look for the key ideas of the speaker. According to Adler, Rodman, and Sevigny(146) most people have a,
“central idea or a thesis when they are speaking to you.”
“central idea or a thesis when they are speaking to you.”
News articles, like this one, are very convenient in that way. Doug Saunders, the author of this article, knows that the readers are only interested in the main points of this crisis which is why the title clearly states what the entire article is about: 'The Prince has been on Afghanistan’s front lines since Christmas – an operational challenge for his military superiors'. The average person does not care about what time Prince Harry arrived in Afghanistan, the main point is that he arrived. Likewise, it does not matter how this secret was leaked, the point is that it did get leaked to the public...
The tips for being an informational listener can also be used when reading an article, as I have shown. Whether you think sending Prince Harry to Afghanistan was a good idea or not, is entirely up to you, but by just following these tips you are sure to make a better decision on the matter. Just remember that by being a good listener, you have nothing to lose but the world to gain.Sources -
1. Adler, Ronald B., George Rodman, and Alexandre Sevigny. "Perception, the Self, and Communication." Understanding Human Communication. Canadian ed. Canada: Oxford U P, 2008. 143-147.
2. Veloso, Bryan. “Harry Hunter.” Prince Harry’s Blog.1 March. 2008: 20 March. 2008.
3. "Prince returns from Afghanistan.” BBC News. 1 March. 2008: 19 March. 2008.
4. Prince Harry shooting Taliban in Afghanistan. Perf. Prince Harry. ITN News, 2008.
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