52 CHAPTER^4 Effective Listening
“What suggestions do you have for recycling old cell phones?” “What is your
personal plan for paying off your student loans?”
• Loaded questions put a speaker on the defensive because of what they imply. Try to
avoid them. For example, “When will you begin to look at both sides of the issue?”
implies that the speaker was one-sided, and when is not really asking for a time. In
other words, you wouldn’t expect to hear, “I am going to research the other side
tomorrow afternoon at 3:00.”
• To get a speaker to expand on an idea, make a request for elaboration: “You said
the Electoral College was modeled on the system used in the Roman Republic; could
you elaborate?” “Can you provide more details about the university’s plan to expand
its online offerings?”
• Instead of questions, you can add comments or information from your own
experience and research. For instance, after a speech on bullying, Tiffany shared
statistics she had heard on a television show, and Jon told a story about a coach who
bullied his team. If you know that data in the speech are incorrect (for example, the
statistics are outdated), you could provide supplementary information.
Although question-and-answer periods are common in the United States, not all
cultures participate equally in a co-creation of meaning process, as Diversity in Practice:
Saving Face explains.
loaded questions questions
containing implications
intended to put the speaker
on the defensive
request for elaboration
question asking for more
information
comments information
from personal experience
or research
Diversity
in praCtiCe
saving Face
Question-and-answer periods are rare in some cultures. For instance, in
traditional Chinese or Japanese public speaking contexts, listeners are supposed
to understand the speaker. Asking a question is an admission that they lack the
intelligence to unravel the speaker’s shades of meaning. Furthermore, a question
reflects on the speaker’s communication abilities; in other words, if listeners are
confused, the speaker has failed to communicate. Finally, to preserve the speaker’s
“face,” it’s considered inappropriate to publicly question a speaker’s information
and, thus, his or her character.^37
Give Written Feedback
You may be asked to write a response to a classmate’s speech. Just writing “I liked your
speech” is too vague to be helpful. More effective comments focus on specific elements,
using the D-R-E method: Describe-Respond-Evaluate.^38 Describe what you heard;
respond with your personal interpretations and reactions; and evaluate by critiquing what
you found effective and what could be improved. Phrase your comments objectively and
positively. Here are some examples:
• Description: “You used quotations from experts on both sides of this controversial
issue” (content); “Your signposts and transition statements clarified your main points”
(organization); “You touched your hair several times as you spoke” (delivery).
• Response: “I really connected emotionally with the story about the grandfather and
the little boy” (content); “Because you alliterated your main points, I will be able to
remember your ideas better” (style).
D-r-e method Describe-
Respond-Evaluate; a feed-
back method that describes
content, shares personal
responses, and gives
evaluation
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