The general session began with a speech by Dr. Richard Halley,
the ILA President-Elect, which focused on recent definitions of
active listening and the context of the listening situation
as a major determiner of the most effective active listening strategies.
This was followed by concurrent sessions, including a presentation
workshop by university lecturer David Prucha, who demonstrated
classroom listening activities for introducing global dialects
of English in the Japanese university EFL classroom. The atmosphere
was further enhanced by a dinner, and a visit by conference participants
to the famous Aomori Nebuta Festival on the evening of August
3rd. On August 4th, a general session was given by Dr. Michael
Purdy of Governors State University, which focused on the different
ways that people communicate and listen in Japan and the United
States. This was followed by more concurrent sessions, and ended
with a symposium on the importance of listening, given in Japanese.
The main purpose of the conference was to provide professionals
with a chance to meet, share ideas and techniques, learn more
about global communication issues and trends, and to bring the
ILA to Japan for the first time. All of these goals were achieved,
and conference participants came away with fresh impressions and
new ideas, inspired by the interesting presentations and workshops,
and made memorable by the hospitality and efforts of the AUHW
teaching staff and the conference co-chair, Professor Kazuo Akasaka,
who was responsible for bringing the conference to Japan. Participants
networked and exchanged business cards and email addresses.
The conference also attracted the attention of the local papers
in Aomori City, which wrote brief summaries of the conference
theme and described the efforts of participants to raise awareness
of the importance of listening in global communications. Because
the conference was timed to coincide with the Nebuta Festival,
conference participants from outside Japan had a wonderful opportunity
to experience one of Japan's largest and most famous festivals,
with some participants joining directly in the huge float parade.
Papers and presentations from this first conference held in Japan
can be obtained by contacting the conference chair, Professor
Kazuo Akasaka, at Aomori University of Health and Welfare, Mase
58-1, Hamadte, Aomori, 030-2023, or by emailing the writer: David
A. Prucha <m432bcr7@ca.mbn.or.jp>.
Further information about the International Listening Association
can be found at <www.listen.org>.
The International Listening Association's International Regional
Conference in Amori appears to have been a success, and participants
and new members are looking forward to the next annual conference
in Chicago, Illinois, March 21-24, 2001. Details can be found
at the above website.