Which of the following statements reflects the principles of avoiding distractions and being other-oriented? a. "let’s go outside. it’s really noisy in here and i can’t really hear what you are saying." b. "i’ll just get this call and then we can talk." c. "i think you should just quit. there’s no sense in being miserable, i always say." d. none of the above

a. "Let’s go outside. It’s really noisy in here and I can’t really hear what you are saying."

Explanation:

Avoiding distractions refer to not pay attention to stimuli from the environment that could be making communication with other people difficult. It also refers to creating an environment where there are no distractors and you can pay attention to the other person.

On the other hand, being other-oriented refers to putting the necessities of the other person first and caring about them and their needs.

In this example we can see that in option A. The person says they should go outside since it's noisy where they are (and therefore eliminating a distraction) and can't really hear what the other person is saying (therefore he is showing interest in what the other person has to say). Thus, this is the correct answer where there is the principles of avoiding distractions and being other-oriented.

Note:

b. He will get a call and THEN they can talk: He is not really avoiding a distraction since he is indeed taking the call and he's putting the other person's needs in second place.

c. He's giving his opinion without considering how the other person feels about the situation or asking the other person what he/she thinks.