MODULE

CHAPTER 4: LISTENING AND SPEECH CRITICISM

Objectives:
a.) Develop skills in Effective Listening.
b.) Realize the Importance and Process of Listening
c.) Apply the skills learned in certain scenarios.

Effective Listening
Effective listening is actively absorbing the information given to you by a speaker,
showing that you are listening and interested, and providing feedback to the speaker so
that he or she knows the message was received. Delivering verbal communication, like
writing a newsletter, involves trying to choose the right words and nonverbal cues to
convey a message that will be interpreted in the way that you intend. Effective listeners
show speakers that they have been heard and understood.

The Listening Process

Receiving is the intentional focus on hearing a speaker‘s message, which happens when
we filter out other sources so that we can isolate the message and avoid the confusing
mixture of incoming stimuli. At this stage, we are still only hearing the message.

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Understanding stage, we attempt to learn the meaning of the message, which is not
always easy. For one thing, if a speaker does not enunciate clearly, it may be difficult to
tell what the message was—did your friend say, ―I think she‘ll be late for class,‖ or ―my
teacher delayed the class‖?

Remembering begins with listening; if you can‘t remember something that was said, you
might not have been listening effectively. Wolvin and Coakley note that the most common
reason for not remembering a message after the fact is because it wasn‘t really learned in
the first place.

Evaluating, the fourth stage in the listening process is evaluating, or judging the value of
the message. We might be thinking, ―This makes sense‖ or, conversely, ―This is very odd.‖
Because everyone embodies biases and perspectives learned from widely diverse sets of
life experiences, evaluations of the same message can vary widely from one listener to
another. Even the most open-minded listeners will have opinions of a speaker, and those
opinions will influence how the message is evaluated.

Responding—sometimes referred to as feedback—is the fifth and final stage of the

listening process. It‘s the stage at which you indicate your involvement. Almost anything
you do at this stage can be interpreted as feedback.

Discussion Questions on Terms and Concepts:

1. Make a list of some of the abstract words you have misunderstood. What
were the consequences of the misunderstanding?
2. Reflect on your listening in class or in other settings where remembering
information is important. What keeps you from remembering important
information accurately?
3. Give an example of a time when you felt that your message was
misunderstood or treated with shallow attention. How did you know your
message had been misunderstood or rejected? What does this mean you
must do as a student of public speaking?

For more tips on effective listening, pleace click the link below.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6-MIeRr1e8

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Types of Listening
When we engage in listening we are doing so for many different reasons depending
upon the goals in which we are trying to achieve. Familiarize yourself with these different
types of listening so you can strengthen and improve your ability to critically think and
evaluate what you have heard.

Appreciative Listening
When you listen for appreciation you are listening for enjoyment. Think about the music
you listen to. You usually listen to music because you enjoy it. The same can be said for
appreciative listening when someone is speaking.

Empathic Listening
When you listen empathically you are doing so to show mutual concern. During this type of
listening you are trying to identify with the speaker by understanding the situation in which
he/she is discussing. You are stepping into the other‘s shoes to get a better understanding
of what it is he/she is talking about.

Comprehensive Listening
If you are watching the news, listening to a lecture, or getting directions from someone,
you are listening to understand or listening to comprehend the message that is being sent.
This process is activeIdentifying the structure of the speech and evaluating the supports
he/she offers as evidence. This is one of the more difficult types of listening because it
requires you to not only concentrate but to actively participate in the process.

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.
For more tips on effective listening, pleace click the link below.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6-MIeRr1e8

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ACTIVE LISTENING
Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with
practice. However, active listening can be difficult to master and will, therefore, take time
and patience to develop.

'Active listening' means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is fully
concentrating on what is being said rather than just passively ‗hearing‘ the message of the
speaker.
Active listening involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full attention to
the speaker, it is important that the ‗active listener‘ is also ‗seen‘ to be listening - otherwise
the speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is uninteresting to the listener.
Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and non-verbal messages
such as maintaining eye contact, nodding your head and smiling, agreeing by saying ‗Yes‘
or simply ‗Mmm hmm‘ to encourage them to continue. By providing this 'feedback' the
person speaking will usually feel more at ease and therefore communicate more easily,
openly and honestly.

Active listening not only means focusing fully on the speaker but also actively showing
verbal and non-verbal signs of listening.
Generally speakers want listeners to demonstrate ‗active listening‘ by responding
appropriately to what they are saying. Appropriate responses to listening can be both
verbal and non-verbal, examples of which are listed below:

Signs of Active Listening

Non-Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening

This is a generic list of non-verbal signs of listening, in other

words people who are listening are more likely to display at
least some of these signs. However these signs may not be
appropriate in all situations and across all cultures.

Smile

Small smiles can be used to show that the listener is paying attention to what is being said
or as a way of agreeing or being happy about the messages being received. Combined
with nods of the head, smiles can be powerful in affirming that messages are being
listened to and understood.

Eye Contact

It is normal and usually encouraging for the listener to look at the speaker. Eye contact
can however be intimidating, especially for more shy speakers – gauge how much eye
contact is appropriate for any given situation. Combine eye contact with smiles and other
non-verbal messages to encourage the speaker.

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Posture

Posture can tell a lot about the sender and receiver in interpersonal interactions. The
attentive listener tends to lean slightly forward or sideways whilst sitting. Other signs of
active listening may include a slight slant of the head or resting the head on one hand.

Mirroring

Automatic reflection/mirroring of any facial expressions used by the speaker can be a sign
of attentive listening. These reflective expressions can help to show sympathy and
empathy in more emotional situations. Attempting to consciously mimic facial expressions
(i.e. not automatic reflection of expressions) can be a sign of inattention.

Distraction

The active listener will not be distracted and therefore will refrain from fidgeting, looking at
a clock or watch, doodling, playing with their hair or picking their fingernails.

Verbal Signs of Attentive or Active Listening

Positive Reinforcement

Although a strong signal of attentiveness, caution should be used when using positive
verbal reinforcement.

Casual and frequent use of words and phrases, such as: ‗very good‘, ‗yes‘ or ‗indeed‘ can
become irritating to the speaker. It is usually better to elaborate and explain why you are
agreeing with a certain point.

Remembering

The human mind is notoriously bad at remembering details, especially for any length of
time.

However, remembering a few key points, or even the name of the speaker, can help to
reinforce that the messages sent have been received and understood – i.e. listening has
been successful. Remembering details, ideas and concepts from previous conversations
proves that attention was kept and is likely to encourage the speaker to continue. During
longer exchanges it may be appropriate to make very brief notes to act as a memory jog
when questioning or clarifying later.

Questioning

The listener can demonstrate that they have been paying attention by asking relevant
questions and/or making statements that build or help to clarify what the speaker has

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said. By asking relevant questions the listener also helps to reinforce that they have an
interest in what the speaker has been saying.

Reflection
Reflecting is closely repeating or paraphrasing what the speaker has said in order to show
comprehension. Reflection is a powerful skill that can reinforce the message of the
speaker and demonstrate understanding.

Clarification
Clarifying involves asking questions of the speaker to ensure that the correct message has
been received. Clarification usually involves the use of open questions which enables the
speaker to expand on certain points as necessary.

Summarization
Repeating a summary of what has been said back to the speaker is a technique used by
the listener to repeat what has been said in their own words. Summarizing involves taking
the main points of the received message and reiterating them in a logical and clear way,
giving the speaker chance to correct if necessary.

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Barriers to Listening

There are many things that get in the way of listening and you should be aware of
these barriers, many of which are bad habits, in order to become a more effective
listener. Barriers and bad habits to effective listening can include:

 Trying to listen to more than one conversation at a time.

 You find the communicator attractive/unattractive.
 You are not interested
 Not focusing
 Feeling unwell or tired
 Identifying rather than empathizing
 Sympathizing rather than empathizing
 You are prejudiced or biased
 You have preconceived ideas or bias
 You make judgments
 Previous experiences
 Preoccupation
 Having a Closed Mind

Non Verbal Signs of Ineffective Listening

 Lack of eye contact with the speaker
 AN inappropriate posture
 Being distracted
 Inappropriate expressions and lack of head nods

Further signs of Ineffective Listening

 Sudden changes of Topic
 Selective Listening
 Daydreaming
 Advising

Improving Listening Styles

Step 1: Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.

Step 2: Be attentive, but relaxed.
Step 3: Keep an open mind.
Step 4: Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is saying.
Step 5: Don't interrupt and don't impose your "solutions."
Step 6: Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.
Step 7: Ask questions only to ensure understanding.
Step 8: Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.
Step 9: Give the speaker regular feedback.
Step 10: Pay attention to what isn't said—to nonverbal cues.

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For more understanding of the Barriers of Listening, pleace click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRem2v3GlmI

Evaluating a Speech

The Speech Objectives

Knowing the speaker‘s objective is critical to analyzing the speech, and should
certainly influence how you study it.
 What is the speaker‘s goal? Is it to educate, to motivate, to persuade, or
to entertain?
 What is the primary message being delivered?
 Why is this person delivering this speech? Are they the right person?
 Was the objective achieved?

The Audience and Context for the Speech

A speaker will need to use different techniques to connect with an audience of
1500 than they would with an audience of 15. Similarly, different techniques will be
applied when communicating with teenagers as opposed to communicating with
corporate leaders.
 Where and when is the speech being delivered?
 What are the key demographic features of the audience? Technical?
Students? Elderly? Athletes? Business leaders?
 How large is the audience?
 In addition to the live audience, is there an external target audience? (e.g. on
the Internet or mass media)

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Speech Content and Structure

The content of the speech should be selected and
organized to achieve the primary speech objective. Focus is
important — extraneous information can weaken an otherwise
effective argument.

Before the Speech

 Were there other speakers before this one? Were their
messages similar, opposed, or unrelated?
 How was the speaker introduced? Was it appropriate?
 Did the introduction establish why the audience should
listen to this speaker with this topic at this time?
 What body language was demonstrated by the speaker as they approached the
speaking area? Body language at this moment will often indicate their level of
confidence.

The Speech Opening

 Due to the primacy effect, words, body language, and visuals in the speech
opening are all critical to speaking success.
 Was a hook used effectively to draw the audience into the speech? Or did the
speaker open with a dry ―It’s great to be here today.―
 Did the speech open with a story? A joke? A startling statistic? A controversial
statement? A powerful visual?
 Did the speech opening clearly establish the intent of the presentation?
 Was the opening memorable?

The Speech Body

 Was the presentation focused? i.e. Did all arguments, stories, anecdotes relate
back to the primary objective?
 Were examples or statistics provided to support the arguments?
 Were metaphors and symbolism use to improve understanding?
 Was the speech organized logically? Was it easy to follow?
 Did the speaker transition smoothly from one part of the presentation to the next?

The Speech Conclusion

 Like the opening, the words, body language, and visuals in the speech
conclusion are all critical to speaking success. This is due to the recency effect.
 Was the conclusion concise?
 Was the conclusion memorable?
 If appropriate, was there a call-to-action?

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Effective Speech Techniques

1. Nervousness Is Normal. Practice and Prepare!

2. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.
3. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.
4. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It.
5. Let Your Personality Come Through.
6. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.
7. Don‘t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.
8. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.
9. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.
10. Use Audiovisual Aids Wisely.

Mouth Exercise for Clear Speech: Learn the secret exercises actors use to speak with a clear and
crisp voice: https://www.engvid.com/mouth-exercises-for-clear-speech/

Warm Up #1: Jaw release

Reduces tension in the mouth and jaw area during speaking.
Place your palms on the sides of your face and slowly massage the jaw and cheek muscles with
slow small circular motions
Continue to massage while lowering and raising your jaw
Add the sound – ―mamamama‖ with a very light lip contact for the ―m‖
Change to ―wawawawa‖ with very light lip round for a slightly distorted ―w‖

Warm Up #2: Lip trills

Release lip tension and connects your breathing and speaking.
Place your lips loosely together and release air in a steady stream to create a trill or raspberry
sound
First try it on an ―h‖ sound. Then repeat on a ―b‖ sound
Hold the sound steady and keep the air moving past the lips
Next try to repeat the b-trill going slowly up and down the scales
Don‘t go beyond what is comfortable at the top or bottom of the scale

Froemling, Kristin, et al.. Communication: The Handbook. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2011. Print
http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-evaluation-1-how-to-study-critique-speech/
https://www.extension.harvard.edu/professional-development/blog/10-tips-improving-your-public-
speaking-skills

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