Public Speaking Basics Listeners and Speakers

Listening Concepts You must wear two hats as a public speaker: Why? Listener Why? Because successful speakers adjust their message based on their listeners reaction and vice versa.

Listening Feedback Loop – The continual flow or circular response between speaker and listener.

Listening Why is it important? Studies show that we spend 40% of our time listening and 35% speaking. Executives spend upwards of 50% of their time listening. Studies also show that we only retain ½ of what we hear immediately while retaining 35% of what they hear after 24 hours.

Listening Listening – The conscious act of recognizing, understanding and accurately interpreting the messages communicated by others. Listening is a proactive and discriminating process.

Listening Small Group discussion: Think of a time when you were sharing a reaction with a friend about a lecture, movie or other event. You attended the same event but your impressions were very different, why?

Listening Because of Selective Perception – People pay attention selectively to certain messages while ignoring others. Several factors contribute to this: 1. We pay attention to what we hold to be important. 2. We pay attention to information that touches our experiences and backgrounds 3. We sort and filter new information on the basis of what we already know.

Listening Barriers Listening Distraction – Anything that competes for attention that you are trying to give to something else. External Distractions – External noises, bad lighting, people walking in and out of a meeting, excessively warm or cold. (NOISE)

Listening Barriers Internal Distractions – Thoughts, feelings (both positive and negative), daydreaming, anxiety due to time pressures, distress over an argument, or any kind of a strong emotion. (NOISE)

Listening Barriers Defensive Listening – A listener that decides that they won’t like what the speaker is going to say or that they know better. This usually happens when the listeners sense that their attitudes or opinions are being challenged.

Listening Barriers Lazy or Overconfident Listeners Expecting too little from the speaker, ignore important information or display an arrogant attitude because we think we already know or don’t need to know the speakers message.

Listening Barriers Cultural Barriers – Differences in dialects or accents, nonverbal cues, word choice and even physical appearance. For example, in the U.S. a “thumbs-up” gesture usually means “good job.” In Australia and Nigeria, the same gesture is considered rude. In the U.S. we encourage eye contact, in some Eastern cultures it is disrespectful or even intolerable.

Listening Tips No one has perfect retention, here are some tips for better retention – Listen for the speaker’s organizational pattern Listen for introductions, transitions and conclusions to alert you to the main points Watch for a more direct eye gaze Take notes on the speaker’s main points