Public Speaking: An Audience-Centered Approach – 7th edition Chapter 4 Listening To Speeches This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: · any public performances or display, including transmission of any image over a network; · preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; · any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Steven A. Beebe & Susan J. Beebe Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 “Learn how to listen and you will prosper – even from those who talk badly.” - Plutarch Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Failure to Select, Attend, Understand or Remember • Select: pick one message. • Attend: focus on that message. • Understand: make sense of message. • Remember: recall information. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Information Overload • “Tuning out,” due to so much information. • Speakers: balance new information with supporting material. • Listeners: try to focus on your speaker. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Personal Concerns • Thoughts distract. • Speakers: use “wake up” messages, intensified volume and eye-contact. • Listeners: note distractions and redirect attention to speaker. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Outside Distractions • • • People & sounds. Speakers: reduce or eliminate distractions. Listeners: make adjustments yourself. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Prejudice • • • Judging so soon, that you bypass the speech. Speakers: avoid words that might be misinterpreted. Listeners: recognize “snap judgments.” Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Differences Between Hearing & Thinking • We process words faster than they are given. • Speakers: summarize and build in redundant ideas. • Listeners: channel energy to mentally summarize. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Barriers to Effective Listening Receiver Apprehension • Fear of misunderstanding or misinterpreting spoken messages. • Speakers: summarize and show visual aids. • Listeners: visualize being successful in understanding and interpreting. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Listen with your eyes also • See if you are paying attention. • Pay attention to nonverbal messages. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Accurately Interpret the Message • Consider context of nonverbal messages. • Look for several cues. • Focus on message, not delivery style. • Keep emotions in check. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Accurately Interpret the Message • Avoid jumping to conclusions. • Listen for major ideas: Enumerations. Transitions. Summaries. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Accurately Interpret the Message • Identify your listening goal: For pleasure. To empathize. To evaluate. For information. • Practice listening. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Accurately Interpret the Message Understand your listening style: • People-Oriented: feelings & emotions. • Action-Oriented: organized & brief. • Content-Oriented: facts & details. • Time-Oriented: succinct messages. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 How to Become a Better Listener Accurately Interpret the Message Become an active listener: • Remain alert. • Re-sort what is heard. • Rephrase what is heard. • Repeat key information. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Improving Your Note-Taking Skills • Bring paper & pen/pencil. • Decide if you need to take notes. • Decide what types of notes to take. • Make notes meaningful. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Listening and Critical Thinking • Critical listening: evaluating quality of information presented. • Critical thinking: making judgments about conclusions observed. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Listening and Critical Thinking Separate Facts from Inferences • Fact: proven to be true. • Inference: evaluation that is not directly observed. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Listening and Critical Thinking Evaluate the Quality of Evidence • Facts. • Examples. • Opinions. • Statistics. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Listening and Critical Thinking Evaluate the Quality of Logic & Reasoning • Logic: formal system of rules used to reach conclusion. • Reasoning: drawing conclusion from evidence. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing and Evaluating Speeches Criteria for Evaluating a Speech • It should be effective. • It should be appropriate. Rhetorical Criticism: evaluating a speech’s effectiveness & appropriateness. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing and Evaluating Speeches Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies Pay attention to: • Speech goal. • Organization. • Speaker’s role. • Tone of speech. • Intended audience. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing and Evaluating Speeches Giving Feedback to Others • Be descriptive. • Be specific. • Be positive. • Be constructive. • Be sensitive. • Be realistic. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009 Analyzing and Evaluating Speeches Giving Feedback to Yourself • Recognize your strengths. • Think of speech context. • Identify one or two areas for improvement. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2009