Critical Listening

Have you ever had to buy an expensive item, such as a new appliance, a car, a cell
phone, or an iPad? You probably did some research beforehand and listened closely to
the salesperson when you went to compare brands. Or perhaps your best friend is
telling you about some medical tests he/she recently had done. You listen closely so
you can help your friend understand her results and the possible ramifications of the
findings. Both of these scenarios are examples of critical listening. Critical listening is
listening to evaluate the content of the message. As a critical listener you are listening
to all parts of the message, analyzing it, and evaluating what you heard. When
engaging in critical listening, you are also critically thinking. You are making mental
judgments based on what you see, hear, and read. Your goal as a critical listener is to
evaluate the message that is being sent and decide for yourself if the information is
valid.

Think about a time when you were asked to listen to a friend, a coworker, a lecture, a sermon,
etc. Briefly explain the context of the situation.

Analytical Listening & Problem Solving

Moreover, Analytical Listening helps bring balance to a conversation and process
information objectively. In conversation with others, feeling plays an important role.
When the atmosphere of the conversation is good, chances are objectivity will
disappear into the background. Being mindful of this allows for a balance to be created
between feeling and logical reasoning. Analyses of causes can be made, after which
the consequences of a problem can be better detected as well. An analytical listener is
able to critically look at elements of a problem and apply models to them. By
distinguishing main problems from partial problems, the analytic listener can collect a lot
of information, then research it. After collecting all of the data, the analytical listener will
be highly able to make logical connections, detect the actual cause, and think of fitting
solutions.

What is Analytical Listening?

Analytical Listening is about the ability and the capacity to properly analyse what is
being said. This not only means understanding what the other person is saying and
what they mean to say, but also being able to divide difficult questions into separate
parts in order to get to the core. Analytical Listening sounds easier than it is.
Distinguishing between central and peripheral issues is a prerequisite. Apart from that,
common listening techniques help. The objective of Analytical Listening is to quickly see
logical connections, as well as detecting possible gaps in all the information.
Critical Listening
We can be said to be engaged in critical listening when the goal is to evaluate or
scrutinise what is being said. Critical listening is a much more active behaviour than
informational listening and usually involves some sort of problem solving or
decision making.  Critical listening is akin to critical reading; both involve analysis of
the information being received and alignment with what we already know or
believe.  Whereas informational listening may be mostly concerned with receiving
facts and/or new information - critical listening is about analysing opinion and
making a judgement.

When the word ‘critical’ is used to describe listening, reading or thinking it does not
necessarily mean that you are claiming that the information you are listening to is
somehow faulty or flawed.   Rather, critical listening means engaging in what you
are listening to by asking yourself questions such as, ‘what is the speaker trying to
say?’ or ‘what is the main argument being presented?’, ‘how does what I’m hearing
differ from my beliefs, knowledge or opinion?’.  Critical listening is, therefore,
fundamental to true learning. (Also see our page: Critical Reading).

Many day-to-day decisions that we make are based on some form of ‘critical’
analysis, whether it be critical listening, reading or thought.  Our opinions, values
and beliefs are based on our ability to process information and formulate our own
feelings about the world around us as well as weigh up the pros and cons to make
an informed decision. 

It is often important, when listening critically, to have an open-mind and not be

biased by stereotypes or preconceived ideas.  By doing this you will become a
better listener and broaden your knowledge and perception of other people and
your relationships.

Read more at: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/listening-types.html

Critical listening skills go far beyond just hearing a speaker's message. They involve analyzing
the information in a speech and making important decisions about truth, authenticity and
relevance. Learn about critical listening and thinking skills in this lesson.
Listening as a Critical Thinking Activity
When we attend a speaking event, we are usually there to hear the speaker's message.
Specifically, we are there because the message has meaning to us. This can be a lecture
delivered by your favorite professor or a motivational speech by a famous public speaker. In
any event, we listen intently and try to absorb as much of what is being said as possible. But,
how do we know what we are hearing is actually true?

That's difficult to discern, but what we can do is take a few careful steps to better evaluate
information we receive. This is critical thinking, and it involves analyzing the speaker's
message and motives to assess the message for authenticity and truth. There are a few ways to
do this. You can analyze the speaking situation, or the context in which the message is being
sent.

There is no shortage of infomercials telling us about how we can get rich quick, from buying
and selling real estate to selling stuff on the Internet. There are a million ways to make a million
dollars. However, if you listen to the message carefully, there is generally a catch. It may be to
purchase a set of CDs or to join a club. At that point, it becomes obvious that the speech is less
about you becoming a millionaire and more about the speaker selling his get-rich-quick
methods. That is the situation. And after analyzing the situation, you may decide not to quit
your day job.

Another way to determine the authenticity of a message is to analyze the speaker's ideas. A
good speaker will provide support for his ideas. Maybe a few experts in the local real estate
market can vouch for the speaker's confidence in a booming real estate market. If this happens,
the message becomes more believable. However, if the local rags tell a different story by
highlighting soaring foreclosure rates in your area - buyer beware!

You can also listen for clues about whether the buyer actually experienced the claims he is
making or is basing his claims on someone else's experience. If the speaker is not a licensed
real estate agent or has never purchased a home in the past, this is a good indication that he is
using the experiences of others to make his claims. There are two ways in which we can get to
the bottom of this.

Analyzing the Speaker's Claims

The first thing you should do is put the speaker's ideas to the test by identifying support for
the claims. This means performing research to determine the process the speaker used to
actually gather his facts and information. Look for things like dates and sources.

We all experienced the pinch of the economy in 2006. We heard stories about people losing
homes. So, if the speaker uses information about a real estate boom dating back to pre-2006,
there is a good chance the information is not relevant and probably should be dismissed.

The source of the information is also something to consider. Real estate sales in one part of the
country may not be the same as in your neighborhood. Take, for instance, places like Florida
and Nevada - both were hit by the recession. If the speaker is using sources from locales that
were not hit very hard by the economy, the information simply may not apply to your neck of
the woods.

Next, you may want to evaluate the argument the speaker is making. Try to figure out
whether the speaker is using emotional appeals, a logical argument or actual evidence to state
his case. Sometimes, a speaker will use puffery to stress a point. This means to overstate a
point to make it more appealing. It's perfectly legal, but it can be misleading. This is especially
true if you have not done your homework. When it comes to evaluating an argument, there are
a few things you can do to get the skinny on the information.

You are evaluating an author who is touting her book as the best weight loss
plan ever written. After doing some research, you find out that this book
wasn't very well-researched, and she has been skinny all of her life. She was
using _____ to make her claims.
Facts Second-hand knowledge

Persuasion Puffery

1. Observations _____, while Inference _____.

are mere generalizations; are eye-witness accounts

may skew the truth; reveal the true state regardless of speaker's claims

are based on information seen; are based on information already known

All of these answers are correct.

2. Why can listening be considered a critical thinking activity?

We listen to try to absorb as much of what is being said as possible.

We listen in the hopes of being able to retell what is being said to someone else.

We listen because the message has specific meaning to us.

We listen to analyze the speaker's message and motives to assess his or her message
for authenticity and truth.