A Speaker’s guidebook 4th ed

A SPEAKER’S GUIDEBOOK4TH EDITIONCHAPTER 4

Listening

Listening

Hearing – physiological response

Listening – active, cognitive process

Feedback Loop — Successful

speakers adjust theirmessages based on reactions from listeners in a circular response.

Competent Listeners

Have more successful relationships

Experience greater professional success

Are better problem solvers

Are more engaged citizens

Learn from listening to other speakers

Components of the Listening Process

Mindfulness

Physical reception of communication

Selective perception of communication

Organizing perceived communication

Interpreting communication

Responding to others nonverbally

Remembering communication

Selective Perception

We pay attention to one message while ignoringanother. For example, walking to

your next class, you ignore your

friend to answer your cell phone.

Listeners pay attention to a

message based on its importance,

its relevance to listener, and the

level of understanding.

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Dialogic Communication

To occur, the speaker and listener must createmeaning for the message together.

A speech is not a monologue by which the speakertries to impose her beliefs and thoughts on theaudience like she would enter data into a computer.

Speeches are dialogues by which the speaker andthe listener share ideas collaboratively; both takean active role in the process.

Four Steps in the Listening Process

1. Reception – the message must besuccessfully received by the listener.

2. Selection – the speaker must assist thelistener in maintaining attention to themessage.

3. Organization – the speaker must presenther thoughts in an organized way, sothat the listener can process the meaningmore easily.

4. Motivation – the listener must be open toreceive messages to which he may firstwish to ignore.

Critical Thinking

The ability to evaluate claims on the basis ofwell-supported reasons.

Audience members should evaluate theevidence for accuracy and credibility.

Pay attention to assumptions and biases, suchas overgeneralizations which areunreasonable and unsupported conclusions.

Guidelines for Evaluating Messages

Be honest and fair in your evaluating bybeing open to other viewpoints andconsidering the speech as a whole.

Adjust to the speaker’s style of delivery,especially with your classmates who arelearning how to improve their word choiceand gestures.

Be compassionate in your criticism byproviding constructive feedback.

A SPEAKER’S GUIDEBOOK4TH EDITIONCHAPTER 4

Barriers to Active Listening

Factors that have reduced listening skills

We move at a fast pace in everyday life.

Media outlets encourage passive listening.

Commercials and other “mini-messages” contributeto difficulty in sustaining attention for long periodsof time.

Try this: Count the mini-messagesduring your favorite TV sitcom usingyour stopwatch. How much timeelapsed between commercial breaks orscene changes? How long was eachcommercial? Did you have anyinterruptions during the sitcom; i.e.telephone ringing, person entered room,your pet barked?

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External Obstacles to Listening

A. Message Overload

B. Message Complexity

C. Noise

Question: Which of these ismore of an obstacle to youthan the others?

Internal Listening Distractions

Thoughts and feelings that intrude on our attentionare internal listening distractions or obstacles.

Daydreaming, anxiety, illness, or fatigue areexamples of common distractions.

Scriptwriting is when the listener is to busy to listenbecause he is thinking of what to say next.

Defensive listeners prejudge the message andassume they already know the information or that thespeaker is against their values.

Cultural differences impact how well we listen.

Internal Obstacles to Listening

A. Preoccupation

B. Prejudgment

C. Reacting to Emotionally Loaded Language

D. Lack of Effort

E. Not Adapting to Diverse Speaking Styles

Question: Which of these ismore of an obstacle to you?

Active Listeners

Set listening goals.

Listen for main ideas.

Watch for the speaker’s nonverbal cues.

Did you ever try to

tune out the speaker as

this child is doing?

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Steps in Setting Listening Goals

Identify your need for listening to the speech.

Indicate the performance standard to demonstrateeffective listening has occurred.

Make an action statement where you visualizeminimizing internal distractions and listening well.

Assess goal achievement by taking a moment toreview your evaluation sheet to confirm that you didan adequate job as a listener.

Listen for Main Ideas

Listen for the organizational pattern of the message.

Listen for the internal preview in the introduction,transition statements and signposts between the mainideas, and match these with the concluding review.

Take notes on the main ideas and supporting evidence.

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Watch for Nonverbal Cues

Pay attention to direct eye contact;speakers often emphasize importantthoughts by gazing directly at theaudience.

Emphatic gestures and changes infacial expressions often indicateimportant concepts or strong feelingson the part of the speaker.

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Group Work: Listening to Support Others

The primary concern should be the relationship withother group members; we should care about other’sfeelings and perceptions.

Concentrate on what is behind the literal content toknow what the other person is thinking or feeling.

Avoid judgmental responses,

but be honest when others

want our evaluative feedback.

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Chapter 4 Key Terms for Review

feedback loop

listening

selective perception

dialogue

dialogic communication

active listening

listening distraction

external listening

distraction

internal listening

distraction

defensive listening

critical thinking

valid generalization

overgeneralization