Chapter 4 Listening Skills

Listening Skills: Introduction Listening is an important skill for speakers. Good listening can help: During the research process During practice when you receive feedback During your speech as the audience gives you feedback

Listening Skills: Introduction Hearing is passive reception. Listening means actively paying attention to the message.

Listening Skills: An Overview Reviewing the following topics will help you become a better listener: The importance of listening The process of listening Causes of ineffective listening Suggestions for improving listening

Why Listen? Good listening can: Improve a speaker’s connection with the audience by helping him or her respond to feedback Help an audience member absorb information and critically evaluate claims

The Listening Process Effective listening requires: Processing what you have heard Retaining what you’ve processed

The Listening Process: Processing What You’ve Heard Processing involves actively thinking about both vocal and nonverbal messages and cues. Allows a listener to make better decisions with the information

The Listening Process: Retaining What You’ve Processed Retention is your ability to remember what you’ve heard. Easier if you have good attention and listening skills The attentiveness curve demonstrates the listening patterns of poor listeners.

The Listening Process: The Attentiveness Curve

The Culprits Behind Poor Listening: An Overview Unprocessed note taking Nonlistening Interruptive listening Agenda-driven listening Argumentative listening Nervous listening

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Unprocessed Note Taking Unprocessed note taking means writing verbatim notes. When taking notes, focus on the content of what’s being said. Don’t take notes only to take notes.

Unprocessed Note Taking

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Nonlistening Not paying attention It is as if the information is hitting a brick wall. Retention is impossible.

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Interruptive Listening When one person consistently interrupts another Audiences can interrupt to derail a speaker. Speakers can also interrupt audiences, cutting off a question or comment.

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Interruptive Listening All interruptive listening is: Rude Limits listening Decreases credibility and goodwill

Interruptive Listening

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Agenda-Driven Listening Focusing so much on what comes next in the speech you pay little attention to audience members Annoys audience members and damages credibility

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Argumentative Listening Listening only enough to fuel your own arguments May occur: If audience disagrees If speaker feels attacked If interviewer disagrees with interviewee

Culprits Behind Poor Listening: Nervous Listening Feeling compelled to talk through silences Makes it difficult to gather and interpret information

Tips for Culprits Behind Poor Listening Tip: Some silence is okay. If you feel compelled to speak during a pause, count to three before you speak. Tip: Planning, preparation, and practice can help avoid unplanned silences and agenda-driven listening.

Becoming a Better Listener: An Overview You can be a better listener by improving your interactive listening skills, which involves: Filtering out distractions Focusing on the speaker Showing that you are listening

Becoming a Better Listener: Filter out Distractions Try to ignore external distractions. Try to blot out internal noise, or any thoughts that make it hard for you to concentrate. Examples of internal noise include: Worrying about your grade Thinking about your social life

Becoming a Better Listener: Focus on the Speaker Keep your mind on what the speaker is saying. Do not consider what the speaker will say next. Ask yourself questions about what you just heard.

Becoming a Better Listener: Show That You Are Listening Nonverbal cues that indicate listening: Alert posture Head nodding Eye contact Verbal cues that indicate listening: Asking questions Paraphrasing audience member’s question

Maximizing Your Audience’s Listening: Anticipate Ineffective Listening Perform audience surveillance. Consider audience’s attention and energy levels. Assess audience’s knowledge and abilities, then adjust. Front- and back-load your main message. Use presentation aids strategically. JUST FYI: This section is not in the instructors manual

Maximizing Your Audience’s Listening: Encourage Active Listening Tailor your delivery by adjusting your voice, volume, fluency, projection, rate, and timing. Acknowledge the viewpoints of argumentative listeners. Pause for questions to help re-engage defeated listeners. Engage superficial listeners by making eye contact or asking questions.

Maximizing Your Audience’s Listening: Encourage Active Listening

Listening When You Are in the Audience Providing a speech critique can help you and the speaker. A good critique provides constructive criticism: Take notes. Identify main points. Consider speech’s objectives.

Listening When You Are in the Audience Other considerations during the speech critique: Support your feedback with examples. Be courteous and nonbiased. Hold the speaker accountable.

Tips for the Listening Process Tip: Keep an open mind when listening; every listening experience is an opportunity for learning. Tip: Listen to others as you would like them to listen to you.