Public Speaking

Strategies to Improve Listening (^49)

Improve Your Critical Listening Skills

Persuasive messages surround you, urging you to buy, sign up, donate, vote, change

your beliefs, and so on. Consequently, critical listening skills help you sort through

competing claims for your allegiance, your beliefs, your money, and your time.

A critical approach means that you use advanced listening skills to analyze evidence,

ponder implications, and evaluate merits of various appeals rather than accept them

unreflectively. Critical listening skills build on comprehensive listening skills but add

questions such as these:^31

•   What is this speaker’s goal?

•   Is this speaker trustworthy?

•   Is he or she knowledgeable about this topic?

•   Does this message make sense?

•   Where does the supporting information come from? Are those sources reliable?

•   What will I gain or lose if I adopt these ideas?

•   What problems, if any, go along with this position?

•   Am I being unduly swayed by my emotions?

Critical listening is your response to the speaker’s general purpose to persuade.

These skills help you live out the cultural saying “Don’t believe everything you hear,”

and the principles guide you as you sift through all the persuasive appeals each day

brings. Chapters 8 and 16 provide specific tests you can use to evaluate evidence and

reasoning.

In a diverse culture, it’s psychologically rewarding to seek out speakers who bolster

and affirm your ideas, especially if the dominant society challenges them. The following

examples may clarify this concept:

•   Religious adherents gather regularly in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples

to reaffirm their beliefs.

•   People who have strong political leanings assemble to hear passionate speeches that

reinforce their ideologies.

•   Every January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, supporters on both sides of the

abortion issue attend rallies to hear speakers reaffirm their respective positions.

In similar contexts, you might find yourself clapping, nodding, or verbally

encouraging speakers who affirm your biases. In fact, you might not notice questionable

arguments or emotional appeals. However, you should submit all persuasive messages to

critical evaluation, even those that reinforce positions you support.^32

critical listening listening

that requires you to reflect

and weigh the merits of

messages before you accept

them

Both speakers and listeners share responsibility for making the speech

successful. Some audiences remain silent, thinking that noise breaks their

concentration and diverts their attention. Applause signals suspicion, similar

to booing by US audiences; some cultures do not even applaud at the end of

the speech, which allows the speaker to remain modest.^29

•    Various student preferences: A cross-cultural study of student listening

preferences^30 showed that American students tend to like short, to-the-point

messages given by speakers with whom they can identify. Disorganized

presentations frustrate and annoy German students who are much less

concerned about identifying personally with the speaker.

Think about your personal listening preferences. How are they shaped by

your cultural background?

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