Ch. 4
 Passive
listeners- let the speaker do all of
the work while the listener is just along for
the ride

Ex. Putting up with distractions, paying more attention
to someone’s appearance than their message, and
failing to respond to message
 Active
listener- plays an active role by
guiding the talker toward common interests

Ex. Being engaged in the conversation, giving verbal
cues that show you’re paying attention
 Listening
is the “receiving” part of the
communication process, but just hearing the
words is only the beginning.
 Hearing-
sound waves that set off vibrations
in our ears; automatic reaction of the senses
and nervous system
 Listening-
conscious effort to hear; voluntary
act in which we use our higher mental
processes.
 We
only remember about 25% of what we
hear
 You must train yourself to listen.
 Most people speak at 120-180 words per
minute.
 Our brains work faster than that which is why
we tend to wander off.
Appreciative Listening- listening for leisure or
enjoyment
 Discriminative Listening- when we want to single
out one particular sound from a noisy
environment (ex: friend’s voice in a crowded
room)
 Empathic Listening- encourages people to talk
freely without fear or embarrassment. (ex:
counselors, psychiatrists, and good friends)
 Critical Listening- evaluating what you hear and
deciding if the message is logical, worthwhile, or
has value

 Tuning


Listen for something that you can use; an idea,
quote, or story.
Can almost always find something of value
 Faking


out dull topics
Attention
Translate the speaker’s thoughts into your own
words
Repeat key points to yourself throughout the
conversation
 Yielding


to Distractions
Giving our attention to a distraction rather than
the speaker
Almost any distraction can be blocked out with
concentration
 Criticizing


delivery or physical appearance
Don’t use poor physical appearance or poor
delivery skills as a reason not to listen
Overlook their imperfections and listen to the
message
 Jumping


to Conclusions
Avoid personal biases
Don’t judge the message just by observations
 Overreacting


to Emotional Words
Avoid strong emotional reactions
Don’t let your emotions act as filters
 Interrupting


Don’t get caught up in thinking about what you
want to say rather than listening
Shows you don’t care about what the other
person is saying
 Education
 Religion
 Biases
 Family
 Attitude
 Physical
 Age
 Morals
 Experience
 Emotions
Condition
 Refrain
from judging the speaker
 Focus attention on the message
 Search for areas of agreement
 Keep an open mind
Ch. 4
 The




Beginning
May be the most interesting but is usually not the
most important
Often to get caught up in the entertainment of
the speech and to miss the key point
Shortly after the beginning, the main idea will be
presented
If you miss the main idea, you don’t know what
to listen for
 Be
a critical listener
 Understand the message
 Test the strength of the message



Question the support they use to back up their
points
What are their examples?
Evaluate for accuracy and fairness
 Be
on guard for emotional appeals and
propaganda
 Listen for the repeated statement of the
main idea, summary of the important
support, or “in conclusion”
 Try and recognize if the speaker is trying to
mislead you
 Be aware of “rhetorical devices” or tricks of
language
 Explore-
What does this person want me to
believe? Listen to see if you guessed right.
 Analyze- Are the reasons, examples, and
facts convincing?
 Review- mentally run over the points that
have already been made
 Search- listen between the lines. Are there
hidden meanings in the message?
 Being



introduced to others
Repeat their name two or three times in
conversation
Relate their name to something familiar
Develop a determination to remember
 Be
“coachable”
 2 obstacles that make criticism hard to take:

Threatens to distract us



Don’t dwell on the past
Be proactive and make things better for the future
It hurts


Try not to take it personally
Try to separate your behaviors from your ego
 Ask
for explanations if you don’t understand
 Paraphrase the message in your own words
 Summarize the message
 Take notes



Always have something to write with
Don’t worry about neatness
Don’t use complete sentences