INTRODUCTION
* listening important to the communication process
* you have a responsibility to listen well
* better listeners make better speakersbenefits to students:
* could get a better grade in here
* aid in discussions and critiques
* has application to your own speeches
enhanced student experience
* listening to lectures
* getting more out of speeches
1--SENSING: receiving stimuli through senses
* seeing, hearing, touching, smelling (and tasting)
2--ATTENDING: selecting and focusing on stimuli
* our senses are continually assaulted
* we choose which to attend to
3--UNDERSTANDING: making sense of stimuli
* we interpret and evaluate attended stimuli
4--REMEMBERING
* the process of bring back to consciousness that which has been sensed, attended to and understood
* highly selective process
SENSING: impairment of senses
* weak hearing, eyes
1--we all have selective perception
* our experiences helps us to decide what to attend to
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
* when speaker hard to hear: low volume, lack of projection
* flat dynamics of delivery; little variety both with vocal and physical
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
1--DISAGREEMENT,
* 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/meanings limited by your experiences
2--INABILITY TO EMPATHIZE
* empathy: ability to identify other's point of view
* different 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, 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!)
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
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)
* distributed practice always better than cramming
* when organizational pattern evident, we remember better
* transference: tied to 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
* what are the speaker's motives? agenda?
* what are their wants and needs?
2--use 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 topic to your own life
* participate by assessing and evaluating 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 speech topic to lives of 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 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 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
* easy to grasp
* pay attention to non-verbs
* avoid defensive behavior
aspects of listening
* hearing is physiological: sound> ear drums> 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
* separatingfact from fiction
* discover 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?
taking listening seriously
* self awareness--analyze your own shortcomings
* make commitment to improvement
* good listening an acquired art
* 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 attention is wondering and refocus (no need to berate yourself)
* 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-nonvocal messages (body language)
* consider how your meaning may be different
* what are your internal barriers?
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 handsome
suspending 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
listening for speaker's techniques
* how is it 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