Norton Field Guide for Speaking 1.3

NFGS_ch1.3_lecppt.pptx

1. Chapter 1.3 Listening Copyright © 20 22 W. W. Norton & Company

2. Introduction Any attempt to communicate is likely to fail without responsible, skilled listening Many of us overestimate the extent to which we listen to, understand, and remember what other people say 2

3. What Is Listening? Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, remembering, and responding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages Communication is more successful and meaningful when both speakers and audiences commit themselves to listening attentively and responsibly Hearing is merely a physical capability, whereas listening is a skill that involves focused attention and purposeful, critical thinking 3

4. Poor Listening Many of us acquire poor listening habits over the course of our lives Some of these habits include the following: Pseudolistening Selective listening Superficial listening Defensive listening disruptive listening Multitask listening Next-in-line effect 4

5. The Components of Effective Listening Judi Brownell, a leading listening researcher, has developed the “HURIER” model, which provides a clear and memorable definition of effective listening The HURIER model is based on six separate but interrelated skills that together constitute effective listening: Hearing Understanding Remembering Interpreting Evaluating Responding 5

6. 6 Ears King (respect) Eyes One (focus) Heart

7. The Components of Effective Listening: Hearing Hearing is your ability to make clear, aural distinctions among the sounds and words being spoken To hear properly, make sure that you’re in the proper state of mind, that you minimize as many distractions as you can, and that you position yourself close enough to the speaker If necessary, ask the speaker to repeat themselves or speak in a louder voice 7

8. The Components of Effective Listening: Understanding Understanding is your ability to accurately grasp the intended meaning of a speaker’s message To make sure you understand, you may need to ask the speaker to clarify, to provide an example or definition, or to rephrase what’s been said in more precise terms You can also ask for a perception check by stating what you think the speaker is saying and then asking whether your understanding is correct 8

9. The Components of Effective Listening: Remembering Remembering is your ability to store, retain, and recall information you have heard One of the best ways to remember what a speaker says and means is to find personal relevance in and build emotional engagement with what you’re hearing Writing down essential ideas and/or information and repeating them silently to yourself can help you remember them 9

10. The Components of Effective Listening: Interpreting Interpreting is your ability to understand the meaning of what’s being communicated beyond the literal, verbal message Interpret the speaker’s nonverbal communication: eye contact , facial expressions, and gestures , as well as vocal quality Empathize with the emotions, values, and attitudes that the speaker is expressing through nonverbal cues 10

11. The Components of Effective Listening: Evaluating Evaluating is your ability to analyze and make a judgment about someone’s message It requires you to think critically about the validity of the speaker’s claims before criticizing, to distinguish logical from illogical appeals , and to monitor your own emotions and attitudes that could interfere with reasonable judgment 11

12. The Components of Effective Listening: Responding Responding is your ability to provide appropriate and meaningful feedback that signals you have or have not heard and understood the speaker You can communicate your understanding or confusion nonverbally just as clearly as you could verbally 12

13. The Audience’s Listening Responsibilities According to the pioneer listening researcher Ralph Nichols, “Good listening is not relaxed and passive at all. It’s dynamic; it’s constructive; it’s characterized by a slightly increased heart rate, quicker circulation of the blood, and a small rise in bodily temperature. It’s energy consuming; it’s plain hard work.” Effective listening is half the equation that constitutes effective communication, which makes it worth the effort 13

14. Understand before Criticizing Good listeners are open minded and support a speaker’s freedom of speech rights, making sure they understand a speaker before reacting to what they’ve heard Acknowledge that your feelings about and responses to other speakers are at least partly determined by your beliefs and related biases If you are offended or angered by what you hear, pause, maintain your concentration, and make sure that you accurately comprehend the speaker’s message Listen before you leap 14

15. Use Your Thinking Time Responsibly Thought speed is the speed at which most people can think, which is three or four times the rate at which most speakers talk Effective listeners use that extra thinking time to: Assess the speaker’s credibility , qualifications, and potential biases Identify and summarize the presentation’s key points and central idea Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the speaker’s arguments Weigh the relevance and practicality of the speaker’s comments 15

16. Take Useful Notes Skilled notetakers recall messages better than unskilled notetakers and non-notetakers Skilled notetakers select key words and phrases they want to remember or challenge Listen to the speaker, read the slide, and write down a short phrase to summarize the message in that portion of the talk Research demonstrates that taking notes by hand helps us remember more than typing on a digital device 16

17. The Speaker’s Listening Responsibilities Listening to members of your audience goes beyond hearing and seeing their reactions before and after your presentation It also requires watching, listening, and adapting yourself and your message to their feedback and listening behavior during your presentation 17

18. Ask for and Respond to Audience Feedback Feedback is the verbal and nonverbal responses made by audience members as they interpret and evaluate the meaning and delivery of a presentation In face-to-face presentations, speakers can usually see, hear, and adapt to audience feedback Asking questions can help you gain feedback, and it also tells listeners that you are interested in their reactions 18

19. Honor the Audience Bill of Rights Occasion Listeners have the right to know why this speaker and topic have been chosen for this particular occasion. They also have the right to know, in advance, how long the presentation or session will last. Speaker Listeners have the right to know enough information about the speaker’s background, experiences, and expertise to decide whether the speaker is competent and credible . Audience Listeners have the right to be spoken to with respect for their experiences, background, intelligence, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and culture . They also have the right to ask questions and expect substantive answers. Purpose Listeners have the right to know the speaker’s purpose—what the speaker wants them to think or do as a result of a presentation. They also have a right to know the reasons why the speaker has chosen this purpose and how they can benefit from its achievement. Content Listeners have the right to understand and evaluate the ideas and information used to support the speaker’s message. They also have the right to expect a clear, well-organized presentation . Delivery Listeners have the right to see and hear a speaker and to be able to see every presentation aid used by the speaker, no matter where the aids are located. 19

20. Shared Listening Responsibilities Audiences and speakers also share certain listening responsibilities These strategies are used based on: whether you are the speaker or an audience member whether you are speaking to a large or small group whether the topic is controversial or not whether you have the flexibility to interact with the speaker or audience members during or after the presentation 20

21. Overcome Distractions Distractions take many forms and can be caused by a speaker, an audience member, or outside interference If an audience member’s behavior is distracting, a speaker should ask that person to stop talking or moving around If a presenter speaks too softly or uses visual aids that are too small, a conscientious audience member may ask the speaker to use more volume or further explain You can also shut a door, open a window, or turn on more lights to avoid environmental distractions 21

22. “Listen” to Nonverbal Messages You can understand a speaker’s meaning or gauge audience members’ reactions by noting and interpreting their nonverbal behavior A change in a speaker’s inflection or volume may indicate emphasis A presenter’s sustained eye contact may indicate a direct contact with a member of the audience Facial expressions can reveal the emotion behind a thought Similarly, effective speakers pay attention to audience members’ nonverbal behaviors to check whether the presentation is on track or if changes are necessary 22

23. Listen and Respond with Civility Both speakers and audience members jeopardize the success of a presentation if they fail to listen and respond to one another with civility As a listener, if your intention is to address, criticize, or correct what the speaker is saying, your best chance of doing so will come only if you listen in an attentive and civil manner As a speaker, if you hope to persuade the audience to change their minds, you must listen to them prior to, during, and after your presentation 23

24. Conclusion Effective listening is a complex process, requiring a variety of listening skills and a conscientious commitment to avoid bad listening habits Always listen to others as you would have them listen to you As an audience member, try to suspend your judgments and biases until you have understood the speaker’s message As a speaker, be aware of and adapt to the ways your audience is listening Becoming a better listener will help you become a more effective, more engaging speaker 24

25. Credits This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 1.3. For more resources, please visit The Norton Field Guide to Speaking : http://digital.wwnorton.com/nfgspeaking. Copyright © 2 022 W. W. Norton & Company