DETERMINING THE

WORTH OF IDEAS
Hearing
- is an accidental and
automatic brain response to
sound that requires no
effort.
•For example, we are familiar to the sounds of siren
of the ambulance, the laugher of our friends, the
rattling of pots and pans in our kitchen, and so on.
•We hear those incidental sounds and we train
ourselves to ignore them, unless we have a
reason to do otherwise.
•We learn to filter out sounds that mean little to us,
just like we choose to hear our ringing cell phones
and other sounds that are more important to us.
Listening,
- on the other hand, is purposeful
and focused rather than accidental.
As a result, it requires motivation and
effort. It is active, focused,
concentrated attention for the purpose
of understanding the meanings
expressed by a speaker.
Why Listen
•There is no doubt that effective listening
is an extremely important life skill. Why
is listening so important?
•Listening serves a number of possible
purposes, and the purpose of listening
will depend on the situation and the
nature of the communication.
1. To specifically focus on the
messages being communicated,
avoiding distractions and
preconceptions
2. To gain a full and accurate
understanding into the speakers
point of view and ideas
3. To critically assess what is being
said
4. To observe the non-verbal signals
accompanying what is being said to
enhance understanding
5. To show interest, concern and
concentration
How to Listen
•As you listen, the tips below will help
you get the worthy ideas of the text
you are listening to and help you
understand it.
1. Begin by listening carefully to the
main idea so that you can identify the
subject.
2. Listen for key words to help you remember
details. You might want to take down important
words. If you are listening to a narration or
description, try to visualize the details. If you
are listening to an exposition, try to understand
the order behind the arrangement of the
detailed sentences.
One way to remember the important details in
a text you are listening to is to pay attention to
the discourse markers.
If you heard these discourse markers, you have to
take note the statements for they may be worthy
ideas of the text you are listening to.

3. Think about what you are listening to. Sorting

out or arranging the main ideas in your mind helps
you identify the points to remember. Try to jot down
the main points. Go over the speech from
beginning to end. Recall details
Determining the worth of idea
•Speakers can create hundreds of
ideas but not all these ideas are
worth to remember. Most of them
give introductory statements that are
not so important to their main topic.
They are just flowery words that give
life to their speech.
•To determine the value of
an idea, we should look at;
(1) how rare it is, and
(2) how worth keeping it is.
•Be guided by the following questions
every time you look for the worthy ideas
of the text you listened to.
1. What is the topic of the listening text?
2. What is the important idea presented in
the text?
3. How is the idea being presented?
Explicitly (clearly) stated or implied
(hidden)?
4. What helped you determine the worthy ideas
presented?
By discourse markers that emphasize a point
By the tone of speaker’s voice

5. Is the idea presented worth keeping and worth

sharing to others? Why?

Note: number of worthy ideas present within a text can be

one or more depending on the speaker’s message.
•Benefits of Listening
Listening should not be taken for
granted. Before the invention of writing,
people conveyed virtually all knowledge
through some combination of showing and
telling. Below are some benefits that you
can get from listening.
•Activity 1: Comic Strips
Before you proceed to the lesson, let
us review first your skill on employing
strategy for effective interpersonal
communication by carefully reading
the comic strips below and answering
the questions that follow.
Directions: Choose the letter of the answer. Write
your answer in your English notebook.

1. Who could Speaker A be?

A. the employer C. a boy
B. the applicant D. a teacher

2. Who could Speaker B be?

A. a friend C. a student
B. an interview D. an applicant
3. What position is being applied for?
A. a storekeeper C. an errand boy
B. a machine shop helper D. a gasoline boy

4. Where could the interview have taken

place?
A. in an office C. on the street
B. in the school D. in the machine shop
5. Why did Speaker B leave his
former job?
A. The pay was low.
B. He did not like the job.
C. The time conflicted with his
studies.
D. The pay was low and the time
conflicted with his studies.
6. What made him apply for the present job?
A. He knew the job.
B. It was well advertised.
C. His friend could teach him.
D. He could work and study at the same time.

7. Do you think the boy would get the job?

A. No C. Not sure
B. Yes D. Undecided
ACTIVITY 2:
Read each item carefully.
Write TRUE if the statement is
correct and FALSE if it is not.
Write the answer in your
English notebook.
____1. Hearing is just as important as
listening.
____2. Listening, on the other hand,
is purposeful and focused rather than
accidental.
____3. Hearing is an accidental and
automatic brain response to sound
that requires no effort.
____4. It involves hearing when you
want to get valuable insights from
your teacher or your church pastor.
____5. It is listening when you get
familiar to the sounds of the train,
lawn buses, tractors, the pouring
of rain and so on.
____6. When you listen to a speech, it
is very important that you listen
attentively to get the worthy ideas
given in the talk.
____7. When you listen well to others,
you reveal yourself as being
eavesdropper and mindful of other
people’s life and events.
_____8. Listening means active, focused,
concentrated attention for the purpose of
understanding the meanings expressed by
a speaker.
_____9. Listening serves only few possible
purposes, and the purpose of listening will
depend on the situation and the nature of
the communication.
____10. To become an
effective listener, one should
begin by listening carefully to
the main idea of the speech or
talk so that you can identify the
subject.
ACTIVITY 3:
Read each item carefully. Write
the letter of your answer in your
English notebook.
1. When you look for the worth of ideas from
the message of a speaker, you are actually
looking for the _________.

A. funny jokes uttered

B. most interesting facts of the talk
C. notable styles in engaging his audience
D. essence of the talk that can be applied to
our life
2. It requires you to listen attentively when you
listen __________.

A. to a showbiz report of your favorite actress

B. to a song to appreciate its tune and rhythm
C. to your friend sharing his or her successes
in life
D. to your teacher giving instructions for your
upcoming test
3. ____________________ should
be avoided when you listen to a talk.

A. A free and open mind

B. A conference notebook and a pen
C. A comfortable room free from
noise
D. Doing other things that may hinder
4. Active listening means the ability to _____________.

A. listen to the critical points raised by the speaker

B. participate to the discussion and raise important
questions
C. submit immediately the required outputs at the end of
the session
D. focus completely on a speaker, understand their
message, comprehend the information and respond
thoughtfully
5. ___________________
describes hearing.
A. Focused
B. Accidental
C. Voluntary
D. Intentional