INTRODUCTION
* listening important to the communication process
* you have a responsibility to listen well
* better listeners make better speakersbenefits to you:
* could get a better grade in here
* aid in discussions and critiques
* has application to your own speechesenhanced student experience
* more effective listening to lectures
* getting more out of other's speeches
1--SENSING: receiving stimuli through senses
* seeing, hearing, touching, smelling (and tasting)
2--ATTENDING: selecting and focusing on particular stimuli
* our senses are continually assaulted
* we choose which to attend to, which to ignore
3--UNDERSTANDING: making sense of stimuli
* we interpret and evaluate stimuli that has been attended to
4--REMEMBERING
* the process of bring back to consciousness that which has been sensed, attended to and understood
* a highly selective process
SENSING: impairment of senses
* weak hearing, vision problems
1-- We all have selective perception
* our experiences helps us to decide what to attend to, what to ignore
2-- We all have poor attending habits
* we faking paying attention
* we avoid difficult listening
* we listen only for facts
3-- We all have attitudes and needs that interfere
* as speakers message is heard, we listen through our "field of experience" filter
* we might already have minds made up
* we listen only to what relates to us; our needs
4--Low intensity of message makes attending difficult
* when speaker hard to hear: low volume or lack of projection
* when tone of voice is boring: flat dynamics of delivery; little variety vocally and physically
5--Undue length of message
* Thomas Jefferson said: "Speeches measured by the hour die with the hour."
* we have natural tendency to shorten and compress
* the longer the speech, the more is lost
* the further into the speech the more difficult it is to pay attention
1--DISAGREEMENT,
* There's a difference between understanding and agreement
* understanding : interpreting and evaluating
* agreement: harmonious state of mind, feeling or opinionWhat causes lack of understanding?
* different fields of experience
* lack of knowledge on a topic
* misinterpretation
* words have no meaning
* experiences with words give them meaning to you
* knowledge of words and their meanings limited by your experiences
2--INABILITY TO EMPATHIZE
* empathy: ability to identify other's point of view
* difficult if other's value system different from ours
* when systems are divergent--almost impossible
* we become hostile listeners
* we argue silently, make mental criticism, refute
* unless you make effort to bridge gap, real listening won't happen
3--INAPPROPRIATE MENTAL SETS
* when you already have mind made up
* we don't want speakers to challenge our preconceived notions
* prevents you from understanding speaker's point of view
We forget at alarming rate:
* after 20 minutes: 42% of what we've heard is forgotten
* after 24 hours: 70% of what we've heard is forgotten
* after a month: only 21% of what we've heard is remembered (if we're lucky!)
ACTIVITY:
I recited this to a student in the hallway
in a flat, neutral, evenly paced voice and with no special eye
contact, facial expression or physical expression:
I recited again to a student in the hallway, but asked them to notice dynamics and take notes--listen for keywords. I made the bolded words stand out with pauses, gestures and expression. I tried to focus their listening to important ideas. I paused between bulleted items
We remember (or forget) according to 3 general conditions
1--conditions under which learning
took place
2--conditions between now and then
3--physical and emotional states
1- Conditions under which learning took place
* the more rapidly learned, the better remembered
* burning self on the stove top as a child
* distributed practice always better than cramming
* when organizational pattern evident, we remember better
* transference: when new item can be tied to already known fact
* acceptance: in our mental set
* consistent with frame of reference
* consistent with own motives
SENSING:
* bring glasses
* move closer
ATTENDING: 3 considerations
1-- Empathize with speaker
* put yourself in their shoes
* consider their point of view (or frame of reference)
* suspend evaluation
* consider what the speaker is feeling
* try to discover the speaker's motives? agenda?
* what are their wants and needs?
2-- Use your ability to give/get feedback
* involve yourself in the event
* paraphrase to your self; give speaker feedback
3-- Put aside mental sets
* make overt effort to listen beyond your attitudes
* try to discover speakers main and sub points
* are they supported?
* actively relate their topic to your life
* participate by assessing and evaluating their message
* make frequent silent summaries
* set aside personal motives to argue
UNDERSTANDING
* ability to listen better (intelligently and accurately) increases with experience
Work at REMEMBERING
* take keyword notes,
* reorganize notes after the speech
* discover speaker's organizational pattern
Help with sensing
* control what you can: lighting, seating, noise; use visual aids
* be loud enough
* use appropriate size of gestures and visual aids
Help with attending
* highlight key points
* tie your speech topic to the lives of your audience
* use vivid examples
* use well developed support materials
* choose a strong organizational pattern
* analyze audience
* establish relevancy
* use suspense, humor
* avoid low intensity message
* avoid going overtime
Help with understanding
* remind yourself that message given might not be one received
* analyze and know your audience
* tie your point of view with audience's attitudes, needs, wants
* be aware of how your field of experiences compares with audience
* illustrate with stories
* use visual aids and supporting materials
Helping with empathy
* analyze audience
* put ideas in terms of audience's field of experience
* make yourself credible
* back up assertions with credible evidence
* put polish on supporting evidence
* make it interesting
* make it easy to grasp
* pay attention to non-verbal signals from your audience
* avoid defensive behavior
Help with REMBERING
* carefully deliver your preview statement in introduction and recap in conclusion
* make sure your message is highly organized* make your organizational pattern clear
Aspects of listening
* hearing is physiological: sound strikes ear drums, sends electro/chemical impulses to brain (passive)
* listening: paying attention and understanding (active)
Why is it important?
* we spend more time listening than other communication activities
* you'll get ideas for your speech
* it's your responsibility as audience and speaker
Listening and critical thinking
What are the four kinds of
listening?
appreciative: for pleasure and enjoyment.
empathic: emotional support for speaker.
comprehensive: listening to understand.
critical: to evaluate message; form basis to accept or reject message
Comprehensive listening
* distinguishing main/sub points
* summarizing information
* recalling facts
Critical listening
* judging soundness of evidence
* separating fact from fiction
* discovering weaknesses in reasoning
What are some causes of poor listening?
Not concentrating
* choosing what to listen to from barrage of hearing stimulus
Listening too hard
* missing main points by trying to take all of it in
Jumping to conclusions
Putting words in speaker's mouth
Prematurely rejecting speaker's ideas
* coming into speech event knowing topic is one you disagree with
Why is this a problem?
* no new learning
* no new insightsFocusing on delivery and appearance
* we tend to judge people by how they look and speak
* shoddy vs. neat appearance: which do you trust?
* Standard American English vs. regional, ethnic dialects
* does that affect your perception of speaker?
Take listening seriously
* self awareness--analyze your own shortcomings
* make commitment to improvement
* good listening an acquired art
* takes practice and self discipline
Resist distractions
* it's easy to let mind wander; keep focused
Contexts /situations that contribute to the problem
* hot stuffy rooms; overcrowding
* tiredness
* poor acoustics
* noisy environment; audience
What can you do?
* notice when your attention is wondering and refocus
* no need to berate yourself, just refocus
* try to anticipate; measure message with your anticipation
* review message mentally
* make sure you understand it
Listen between the lines
* consider speaker's meaning to his message
* assess nonverbal-vocal messages (utterances)
* assess nonverbal-non vocal messages (body language)
* consider how your meaning may be different
* what are your internal barriers?
The more attentive you are,
the better the chance that the intended message will be the received
message
Set aside preconceived judgments of appearance:
* slovenly as well as too pretty or too handsome
Suspend judgment
* hear them out; especially with polarizing issues
Focus your listening
* listen for main points
* pay close attention to the introduction
* listen for supporting evidence--evaluate it
What are four way to evaluate evidence?
sufficiency: is it enough to support main points?
objectivity: are they slanted or biased
accuracy: are facts true?
relevancy: does it really relate to the claim
Listen for speaker's techniques
* how is the speech organized? chronological? problem/solution? etc.
* is the language considered and appropriate?
* does delivery style augment or diffuse the message?
--vocal quality
--physicality and gesture
* what are the speaker's strengths and weaknesses?
* why is the speaker effective/ineffective?
Potential problems
* taking everything down; missing information
* ending up with only "tidbits" and not full message
Potential rewards
* general but solid overview of the speakers message
How to do it?
* keep key-word outline: noting main points and evidence
* separate main from sub-points
* approximate speaker's organizational pattern