Listening

Poor Listening Skills

After listening to a 10-minute presentation, how much is understood and retained?

Ten minutes later: 50%

Two days later: 25%

Dr. Lyman K. Steil of the University of Minnesota in St. Paul

Hearing vs. Listening

• Hearing -- your ears pick up sound waves being transmitted by a speaker

• Listening -- making sense out of what is being transmitted

Listening Levels

Pseudo Fake Listening Highly passive Should be avoided

Appreciative For personal pleasure

Passive or active Used in an entertaining speech

Empathic To help the speaker

Active Used in parts of a speech or in therapy groups

Comprehensive To learn or understand

Highly active Used in most speeches

Critical To analyze or evaluate

Highly active Used in most speeches

How to Listen Effectively

• Be willing to expend energy

• Listen analytically

Prepare yourself physically and intellectually

How to Listen Effectively

Take notes

(1) gives you a record of the speaker’s most important points

(2) sharpens your ability to listen analytically

(3) keeps your attention on the speaker’s words and not let your mind wander

How to Listen Effectively

• Option A

Main Ideas

Shortage of organs

Many will die waiting

Situation worse than it looks

Support material

All parts of U.S.

Liver—13% died last year

Heart—20% died

1000s die before names can reach lists

Response

Why is heart stat higher?

Shortage of organs

All parts of U.S.

Many will die waiting

Liver—13% died last year

Heart—20% died—why higher?

Situation worse than it looks

1000s die before names can reach lists

How to Listen Effectively

• Option B

Shortage of organs

All parts of U.S.

Many will die waiting

Liver—13% died last year

Heart—20% died—why higher?

Situation worse than it looks

1000s die before names can reach lists

How to Listen Effectively

• Resist distractions

1. auditory

2. visual

3. physical

4. mental

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Give every speaker a fair chance

• Control emotions

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Avoid Rudeness: Follow the Golden Rule of Listening

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Listen unto others as you would have others listen unto you.

• In other words, you should listen attentively and courteously because when the situation is reversed – and you are the speaker – you would want your audience to listen attentively and courteously.

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Avoid rudeness: Reject electronic intrusion

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Don’t multi-task during a speech

The Listener’s Responsibilities

• Provide encouragement

Speech Evaluations

• Listen objectively

• Take notes

Speech Evaluations

• Look for both positive and negative aspects

• Give positive comments first

• Couple negative comments with positive alternatives

Speech Evaluations

• In most cases, ignore nervousness

• Be specific and measurable

Speech Evaluations

Unhelpful Helpful

Your eye contact was poor Your eye contact favored the left side of the class room. Or you looked too much at the floor.

I liked your speech Your topic was well chosen. Your enthusiastic delivery helped me stay connected to your ideas.

You looked tense and

scared Put your notes on the lectern so that your

trembling hands don’t rustle the paper.

Speech Evaluations

• Don’t be defensive

• Seek clarification

• Strive for improvement

When receiving evaluations:

Tip 1 Take Notes in Important Conversationsand Small-Group Meetings

It’s a nonverbal way of saying, “Your ideas are important to me—so important that I want to make sure I get them down correctly.”

Tip 2 Confront Electronic Rudeness

(1) If you are in a position of authority, tell listeners to put away their cell phones and iPods.

(2) Explain to the audience that you have trouble

concentrating when people are working on electronic devices, and ask them politely to please put away their devices.

(3) Open with an attention-getter that is so captivating that the audience becomes absorbed in your presentation.

Ethics for Public Speaking Class

Speaker Audience

1. Always show up when scheduled to speak

1. Support speaker, no daydreaming or homework, don’t distract speaker in any way

2. Respect audience opinions 2. Respect speaker’s opinions

3. Be honest 3. Be open-minded, don’t take offense during speeches or class discussion

4. Carefully research all sides of topic

4. Give honest, tactful critiques

Analyzing the Audience

The Self-Centered Speaker

Focus on self

Will I look good?

Will the audience like me?

The Audience-Centered Speaker

Focus on audience

Who are my listeners?

How can I reach them with my message?

Analyzing and Adapting

• Analyze

• Adapt

What do listeners know about ice

packs as first aid?

Analyzing and Adapting

• Your Classmates as an Audience• View the classroom as an artificial speaking

situation• Or see your fellow students as an authentic

audience

What do listeners know about ice

packs as first aid?

Getting InformationAbout the Audience

• Demographic data• Statistical trait of the audience such as

age, gender etc

• Attitudinal data• Audience attitudes, values, and beliefs

such as feelings about the topic, level of agreement with speech’s thesis,

• Attitude toward attendance (Is the audience present voluntarily or out of obligation)

Getting Informationabout the Audience

• Surveys

• Interviews

Audience Diversity

Listeners with Disabilities

Scott H. Lewis, a member of a Toastmasters club in Washington state, “Ask the disabled participant.”

Audience Diversity

Listeners with Disabilitiesp.63

• Listeners who have mobility impairments

• Listeners who are deaf or hearing-impaired

• Listeners who are blind or visually impaired

Audience Diversity

• Gender

• Age

• Educational background

• Occupation

• Religious affiliation

• Economic and social status

Audience Knowledge

• Audiences that know a lot about the topic

Early in your speech, reassure them that you will cover new ground.

Audience Knowledge

• Audiences that know little or nothing about the topic

Visual aidsExamples, stories

Audience Knowledge

• Mixed audiences

Start off at simple level and add complexityas you go along.

Example:“I realize that some of you know nothing at all about this problem, while some of you have already become victims. I want to begin by defining what identity theft is, and I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how we can defeat the crime”

Audience Psychology

Interest level

• Assess with a survey

• Create interest

Audience Psychology

Attitudes toward the goal p.65

• Unfavorable

• Neutral

• Favorable

Audience Psychology

Attitudes toward the speaker

establish your credibility

Attitudes toward the occasion

show an awareness of their situation and show that you sincerely want to help them

The Occasion

Time limit

The Occasion

Purpose of the event

The Occasion

Audience size

Tip

A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E. Analysis by Lenny Laskowski

• A nalysis - Who are they? How many will be there?

• U nderstanding - What is their knowledge of the subject?

• D emographics - What is their age, sex, educational background?

• I nterest - Why are they there? Who asked them to be there?

• E nvironment - Where will I stand? Can they all see & hear me?

• N eeds - What are their needs? What are your needs as the speaker?

• C ustomized - What specific needs do you need to address?

• E xpectations - What do they expect to learn or hear from you?