Chapter 4 - Listeners and Speakers

OBJECTIVES

• To recognize the importance of listening.

• To understand the difference between hearing and listening.

• To recognize that we listen selectively.

• To anticipate common obstacles to listening.

• To practice active listening strategies.

• To evaluate evidence and reasoning.

• To strive for the open exchange of ideas.

• To offer constructive and compassionate feedback.

CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE

I. Recognize the centrality of listening

A. The most common communication act people use is listening.

B. Listening is used to gain understanding (comprehensive listening), to evaluate and act on

information (critical listening), to provide support (empathic listening), and to experience

pleasure (appreciative listening).

C. Research shows both college students and those in the workplace identify listening as

their number-one activity, and that managers seek out those with listening skills for new

hires and leadership positions.

D. Active listening is focused, purposeful listening, and can provide learning opportunities to

become a better speaker by observing what works in others’speeches.

II. Understand the difference between hearing and listening

A. While hearing is the physiological process of perceiving sound, listening is the conscious

act of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken and nonverbal

messages sent by others.

process information in exactly the same way. People pay attention to what they hold to be

important and to what touches their experiences and backgrounds, often ignoring other

information. Additionally, people sort and filter information on the basis of what they

already know.

1. Listeners can use this information to challenge their own biases and expectations,

to do a better job of understanding what the speaker is saying.

2. Speakers can use this information by tailoring speeches to appeal to the

audience’s experiences and backgrounds.

C. Active listening is focused, purposeful listening, and is extremely difficult under

distracting conditions.

D. Listening distractions are anything that competes for attention when we try to concentrate

on something else.

1. External listening distractions include anything in the environment that can

distract from listening.

2. Internal listening distractions include the individual’s thoughts, feelings, and

physical and physiological states.

E. Multitasking is focusing on other tasks, such as checking email, texting, or working on

another assignment, thus diverting attention away from accurately interpreting the

speech.

F. Scriptwriting is focusing on what we, rather than the speaker, will say next. Those who

engage in defensive listening decide that they either won’t like what the speaker is going

to say or that they know better.

G. Laziness and overconfidence create obstacles because listeners assume that they already

know, or don’t need to know, what the speaker is saying, in many cases only to later
discover that important information was missed.

H. Cultural barriers, including differences in dialects, accents, nonverbal cues, gestures,

word choice, and physical appearance, negatively impact listening.

III. Becoming a more active listener

A. Set listening goals by identifying needs, indicating performance standards, thinking of an

action statement, and assessing goal achievement.

B. Listening for main ideas involves listening for the organizational pattern and the

speaker’s main points. Taking notes and watching for points of emphasis from the

speaker are also important steps that should be taken by active listeners.

C. Watching for nonverbal cues as an active listener involves “listening” with your eyes.

Speakers give important messages and add clarity to the words they use through

nonverbal communication.

IV. Evaluate evidence and reasoning

A. Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate claims on the basis of well-supported reasons.

B. Critical thinkers use several strategies to look for flaws in arguments and to resist claims

that have no supporting evidence.

1. Critical thinkers evaluate evidence in terms of accuracy, refutation, and the

credibility and reliability of the source.

2. Critical thinkers analyze assumptions and biases behind arguments, claims, and

conclusions.

3. Critical thinkers assess the speaker’s reasoning by resisting false assumptions,

overgeneralizations, and either-or thinking.

4. Critical thinkers consider multiple perspectives, comparing other viewpoints with

the speaker’s.

C. Listeners and speakers can strive for the open exchange of ideas and participate equally
in what can be termed dialogic communication, or the open sharing of ideas in an

atmosphere of respect.

D. If speakers and listeners approach a speech as a collaborative act, both will have a better

chance of avoiding conflict and solving problems.

V. Offer constructive and compassionate feedback

A. Listeners should make every effort to be honest and fair in their evaluations of speakers

and their messages. Listeners must be open to ideas and beliefs that are different from

their own, as there is often something to be learned from differing viewpoints.

B. Adjusting to the speaker’s style means not judging the content of a speech based on the

speaker’s communication style.

1. Poor style, accents, or awkward phrases are not legitimate reasons to “tune out” a

speaker.

2. Good listening involves maintaining respect for all types of speakers.

C. Listeners should be compassionate and constructive with their criticism. Critiques should

(1) begin with something positive, (2) focus on the speech rather than on the speaker, and

(3) be specific in order to target your criticism.