Part I Get Started

Section A  Discussion

Discuss and answer the following questions.

1        How easy is it for you to make friends with a total stranger? Do you think that interpersonal skills are very important at school and at work? Please explain.

 2        Have you ever encountered a very impolite person? If so, share your experience with your group members.

 3        How can we build good relationships with people we're familiar with, such as our peers and our family?

 4       What do you think are some of the common causes of misunderstanding between people and what do you think we should do to clear up misunderstanding?

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Section B  Quotes

Study the following three quotes. Do you agree with Earnest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Epictetus? State your reasons. 

1.   I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.                      — Ernest Hemingway

2.  We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.                                           — Martin Luther King, Jr.

3.  We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.                   — Epictetus 

                          Part I      Get Started

Study the following three quotes. Do you agree with Earnest Hemingway, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Epictetus? State your reasons. 

1.   I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.                — Ernest Hemingway

Interpretation:

Hemingway emphasizes the importance of listening to others. According to him, one can learn a lot by paying attention to what others have to say. But most people do not really like to listen.

2.  We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.                                           — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Interpretation:

King emphasizes the importance of peaceful and loving relationships with one another in a society. If we treat one another as brothers, we can live together peacefully. But if we foolishly fight with one another, we will all die together.

3.  We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.                  — Epictetus 

Interpretation:

Epictetus emphasizes the importance of listening and paying more attention to those who talk to us.