Fundamentals of Public Speaking - Chapter 3

What is hearing?

A physiological process involving sound waves, the ears, and impulses sent to the brain.

What is listening?

A mental process of paying close attention to and making sense of what is heard.

What is the key difference between hearing and listening?

Hearing happens automatically when sound reaches the auditory system, while listening requires attention, effort, interpretation, and judgment.

Is hearing automatic?

Yes. Hearing happens automatically when sound reaches the auditory system.

Does listening require effort?

Yes. Listening requires attention, effort, interpretation, and judgment.

Are most people naturally strong listeners?

No. Effective listening is a skill that must be developed.

Why is listening important?

Listening is important in jobs, school, relationships, daily life, and effective speechmaking.

How can listening help speakers?

Careful listening helps speakers learn effective ideas, evidence, organization, and delivery techniques.

What are the four types of listening?

Appreciative, empathic, comprehensive, and critical listening.

What is appreciative listening?

Listening for pleasure or enjoyment.

What is an example of appreciative listening?

Enjoying music, a story, or an entertaining speech.

What is empathic listening?

Listening to provide emotional support to the speaker.

What is an example of empathic listening?

Listening to a friend discuss a personal problem.

What is comprehensive listening?

Listening to understand and remember the message.

What is an example of comprehensive listening?

Following a lecture, explanation, or set of instructions.

What is critical listening?

Listening to evaluate a message in order to accept or reject it.

What is an example of critical listening?

Judging the claims and evidence in a persuasive speech.

What is the difference between comprehensive and critical listening?

Comprehensive listening focuses on understanding and remembering ideas, while critical listening focuses on judging logic, evidence, and credibility.

Which types of listening are especially important in public speaking?

Comprehensive and critical listening.

What are the four major causes of poor listening?

Not concentrating, listening too hard, jumping to conclusions, and focusing on appearance or delivery.

What happens when a listener is not concentrating?

The mind wanders or distractions take over.

How can you overcome not concentrating?

Actively refocus on the speaker’s main idea.

What does listening too hard mean?

Trying to remember every word and missing the overall message.

Why can listening too hard reduce understanding?

It shifts attention to individual details and away from the speaker’s main ideas and overall message.

How can you avoid listening too hard?

Listen for main points and important evidence instead of trying to remember every word.

What happens when a listener jumps to conclusions?

The listener decides too early what the speaker means or whether the speaker is right.

How can you avoid jumping to conclusions?

Suspend judgment until the full message is heard.

What does focusing on appearance or delivery mean?

Paying more attention to clothing, voice, mannerisms, or technique than to the message.

How can you avoid focusing too much on appearance or delivery?

Evaluate the speaker’s ideas and evidence first.

What are the seven ways to become a better listener?

Take listening seriously, be an active listener, resist distractions, do not be diverted, suspend judgment, focus your listening, and develop note

What does it mean to take listening seriously?

Recognize that effective listening requires effort and practice.

What does it mean to be an active listener?

Give full attention and mentally engage with the speaker’s ideas.

How can you resist distractions while listening?

Control your attention despite noise, movement, devices, or wandering thoughts.

What does it mean to not be diverted?

Look beyond appearance and delivery to focus on the message.

What does it mean to suspend judgment?

Wait until the speaker’s complete message is understood before evaluating it.

What does it mean to focus your listening?

Identify main points, judge evidence, and notice useful speaking techniques.

Why should listeners develop note

taking skills?

What should effective listeners focus on during a speech?

Main points, evidence, speaking techniques, and overall meaning.

What should a listener ask about the main points?

What are the speaker’s most important ideas?

What should a listener evaluate about evidence?

Whether it is accurate, relevant, sufficient, and from credible sources.

Why should listeners pay attention to speaking techniques?

Organizational, language, or delivery choices may be useful in their own speeches.

What should a listener consider about overall meaning?

How supporting details connect to the speaker’s purpose and central message.

What are the two processes involved in hearing?

Sound waves reach the ears and impulses are sent to the brain.

What makes listening a mental process?

It involves paying attention to, interpreting, understanding, and judging what is heard.

What type of listening is used to enjoy music?

Appreciative listening.

What type of listening is used to comfort a friend?

Empathic listening.

What type of listening is used to understand a lecture?

Comprehensive listening.

What type of listening is used to judge evidence in a persuasive speech?

Critical listening.

What type of listening focuses on pleasure?

Appreciative listening.

What type of listening focuses on emotional support?

Empathic listening.

What type of listening focuses on understanding and remembering?

Comprehensive listening.

What type of listening focuses on evaluating a message?

Critical listening.

What should you do before deciding whether a speaker is correct?

Suspend judgment until the complete message is heard.

What three things should focused listeners examine during a speech?

Main points, quality of evidence, and useful speaking techniques.

Why is listening important to effective speechmaking?

It helps speakers learn effective ideas, evidence, organization, and delivery techniques.

What should good notes from a speech contain?

The speaker’s main ideas and key supporting material, not every word.

What is the main goal of effective listening?

To understand and evaluate the speaker’s message rather than simply hear sounds.