Public Speaking
What are the two most important forms of listening?
Critical listening Comprehensive listening They are the kinds of listening you will use most often and are also the kinds of listening that are most closely tied to critical thinking.
When in classes what are the benefits of listening?
During the 95% of the time when you are not speaking, you have nothing else to do but listen and learn. You can sit there like a stone--or you can use the time profitably to master a skill that will serve you in a thousand ways.
What is the difference between hearing and listening?
Hearing is a physiological process, involving the vibration of sound waves on our ear drums and the firing of electrochemical impulses from the inner ear to the central auditory system of the brain. But listening involves paying close attention to, and making sense of, what we hear.
What are some ways to keep our attention from straying?
WAYS TO RESIST DISTRACTIONS -Always make a conscious effort to pull your mind back to what the speaker is saying. Then force it to stay there. -One way to do this is to try to anticipate what will come next. This is not the same as jumping to conclusions. When you jump to conclusions, you put words into the speaker's mouth and don't listen to what is said. IN THIS CASE YOU WILL LISTEN-AND MEASURE WHAT THE SPEAKER SAYS AGAINST WHAT YOU HAD ANTICIPATED. -Another way to do this is to review mentally what the speaker has already said and make sure you understand it. -Yet another way is to listen between the lines and assess what a speaker implies verbally or nonverbally with body language. -Attentive listeners can pick up all kinds of clues to a speaker's real message. At first you may find it difficult to listen so intently. If you work at it, however, your concentration is bound to improve.
Example of jumping to conclusions?
(Shawn p. 52) When someone anticipates what is going to happen and has separate conversation going on in their mind (of the potential outcome) rather than being present and LISTENING to the one that is really happening. Causing them to have two completely separate conversations and a huge misunderstanding. Because we're so sure we know what they mean, we don't listen to what they actually say.
Example of focusing on delivery and personal appearance?
(bow tie, sweater vests and blue jean shorts) Sometimes we judge people by the way they look or speak and don't listen to what they say. It's easy to become distracted by a speaker's accent, personal appearance, or vocal mannerisms and lose sight of the message. This is one of the major sources of interference in the speech communication process, and it is something we always need to guard against.
Rate at which we forget information?
(p. 48) Even when we think we are listening carefully, we usually grasp only 50 percent of what we hear. After 24 hours we can remember only 10 percent of the original message. It's little wonder that listening has been called a lost art.
What are the important lessons in appearance and delivery??
-Even though it may tax your tolerance, patience, and concentration, don't let negative feelings about a speaker's appearance or delivery keep you from listening to the message. -Don't be misled by an attractive and eloquent speaker either. -Some of the most unscrupulous speakers in history have been handsome people with hypnotic delivery skills -Be sure you respond to the MESSAGE, not the package it comes in.
What are the 4 basic questions to ask about a speaker's evidence?
-Is it accurate? -Is it taken from objective sources? -Is it relevant to the speaker's claims? -Is it sufficient to support the speaker's point?
What are some ways in which you can become a better note-taker?
-Record main points and sub points. -Key-word outline -Briefly notes a speaker's main points and supporting evidence in rough outline form. -Very brief, yet they accurately summarize the speaker's ideas. Very clear. -By separating main points from subpoints and subpoints from evidence, the outline format shows the relationships among the speaker's ideas.(p.60)
Don't be diverted by appearance or delivery! (ME)
Abraham Lincoln (awkward yet powerful) Gandhi (unimpressive looking) Stephen Hawking (renowned physicist, severely disabled and can only speak via voice synthesizer. Yet imagine how much poorer the world would be if no one listened to them.
FOCUS YOUR LISTENING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. What are 3 ways to help you focus your listening?
1. Listen for main points. (Most important things to listen for.) 2. Listen for evidence. (4?'s about evidence) 3. Listen to technique. (By watching other peoples speeches you can use what works for them and practice picking out main points.)
**BE AN ACTIVE LISTENER**
Active listeners give their undivided attention to the speaker in a genuine effort to UNDERSTAND his or her POINT OF VIEW. In conversation, they do not interrupt the speaker or finish his or her sentences. When listening to a speech, they do not allow themselves to be distracted by internal or external interference, and they do not prejudge the speaker. They take listening seriously and do the best they can to stay focused on the speaker and his or her message.
What does it mean to be an active listener?
Active listeners give their undivided attention to the speaker in a genuine effort to understand his or her point of view.
What are the 4 kinds of listening?
Appreciative listening (enjoyment/comedy) Empathetic listening (emotional support) Comprehensive " (to understand/lecture) Critical listening (for purposes of accepting or rejecting it/car salesman/political candidate)
Why is it so easy to become distracted?
Because we think so much faster than we can talk, it's easy to let our attention wander.
Example of listening too hard?
Being a sponge and hanging on every word, trying to remember all the details (stats), but in the process, miss the speaker's main points.
DISAGREEMENTS AND OUR NATURAL INCLINATION.
Everyone thinks differently therefore there are going to be things that we don't agree with. When this happens, our natural inclination is to: -Argue mentally with the speaker (which means you aren't even hearing them out and are being close minded) -Or to dismiss everything she or he says (not listening, not fair, closed minded, and won't grow. -Neither response is fair, and in both cases we blot out any chance of learning or being persuaded. -This doesn't mean you have to agree with everything you hear. -It means you should hear people out before reaching a final judgement. -TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEIR POINT OF VIEW. -Listen to their ideas, examine their evidence, assess their reasoning. -Then, after ALL of that, then you make up your mind.
Does good listening go hand in hand with intelligence, education, or social standing?
No, like any other skill, listening comes from practice and self-discipline. Take listening seriously. *Take Listening Self-Evaluation Worksheet on p.54 to check your current listening skills. Once you have identified your shortcomings as a listener, make a serious effort to overcome them.
What are the four causes of poor listening?
Not concentrating. Listening too hard. Jumping to conclusions. Focusing on delivery and personal appearance.
Why is it so important for students to become better note takers?
Perfecting this or any system of note taking requires practice. But with a little effort you will see the results soon. -As you become a better note taker, you will become a better listener. -Which will also make you a better student. -Research confirms that students who take effective notes usually receive higher grades than those who do not.
What is another way of jumping to conclusions?
Prematurely rejecting a speaker's ideas as boring or misguided. That would be a mistake. Shawn start talking about cocktail gossip, and it sounds dull so you tune out and miss a fascinating story. You are cheating yourself if you prejudge and choose not to listen.
What are some steps you can take to improve your skills of active listening?
Resisting distractions, not allowing yourself to be diverted by a speaker's appearance or delivery, SUSPENDING JUDGEMENT UNTIL YOU HAVE HEARD THE SPEAKER OUT, focusing your listening, and developing note-taking skills.
What are some other skills of critical thinking that are especially important in critical listening?
Separating fact from opinion, spotting weaknesses in reasoning, judging the soundness of evidence-are especially important in CRITICAL LISTENING.
What are some the skills that critical thinking involves?
Summarizing information, recalling facts, distinguishing main points from minor points; these are central to COMPREHENSIVE LISTENING.
How to become a better listener?
Take listening seriously. Be an active listener. Resist distractions. Don't be diverted by appearance of delivery. Suspend judgement. Focus your listening: Listen for main points, listen for evidence, and listen for technique. Develop note-taking skills.
*What is the aim of active listening?
The aim of active listening is to set aside "one's own prejudices, frames of reference, and desires so as to experience as far as possible the speaker's world from the inside." It has been said more than once that a closed mind is an empty mind.
Not concentrating?
The brain can process 400 to 800 words a minute. Concentrating is hard work and requires disciplining your mind. Meditation, exercise, and nutrition improves concentration.
