Listeners and Speakers

Listening

Listening is the conscious act of:

Receiving messages
Comprehending messages
Interpreting messages
Evaluating messages
Responding to messages

Selective Listening

Audience members process information differently due to selective perception, where they:

Pay attention to certain messages.
Ignore others.

Factors influencing what we listen to:

Importance.
Relevance to experiences/backgrounds.
Existing knowledge.

Tips to engage listeners:

Identify what is important to listeners.
Show listeners potential gains.
Relate to listeners’ experiences and backgrounds.
Repetition of key ideas.
Analogies.
Presentation aids.

Obstacles to Listening

Obstacles to active listening:

External and internal distractions
Scriptwriting and defensive listening
Laziness and overconfidence
Cultural barriers

Minimize distractions:

Environmental distractions: Plan ahead.
Internal distractions: Rest, focus.

Guard against:

Scriptwriting: Focus on the speaker.
Defensive listening: Avoid prejudging.

Beware of laziness and overconfidence:

Expecting too little from the speaker.
Ignoring important information.
Displaying arrogance.

Overcoming cultural barriers:

Refrain from prejudging.
Focus on the message.
Ask clarifying questions.

Listening styles:

People-oriented.
Action-oriented.
Content-oriented.
Time-oriented.

Active Listening

Steps to active listening:

Set listening goals.
Listen for main ideas.
Observe nonverbal cues.
Identify the organizational pattern.

Evaluation

Use critical faculties to:

Evaluate evidence.
Analyze assumptions and biases.
Assess reasoning.
Consider other viewpoints.

Communication

Key aspects of dialogic communication:

Sharing of ideas in a respectful atmosphere.
Speaker has the opportunity to achieve understanding with the audience.
Listeners should be open-minded and empathetic.

Feedback

Offer constructive and compassionate feedback:

Be honest and fair.
Adjust to the speaker’s style.
Be compassionate and selective in criticism.