Public Speaking Handbook

how to Become a Better Listener 5.3 79

ANALYTICAL LISTENERS Analytical listeners prefer to listen to complex

information that is laced with facts and details. They often withhold judg-

ment before reaching a specific conclusion. You’re an analytical listener if you

reject messages because they don’t have adequate evidence to support the con-

clusions. In addition, analytical listeners don’t like rambling stories that don’t

seem to have a point; they want to know what the key facts are rather than

listen to a long narrative. Analytical listeners make good judges or lawyers

because they enjoy listening to debates and hearing arguments for and against

ideas.^20

CRITICAL LISTENERS You’re a critical listener if you spend time evaluating

the messages you hear. Critical listeners are comfortable listening to detailed,

complex information yet can focus on contradictions and inconsistencies in the

information presented. Critical listeners are also likely to catch errors in the over-

all reasoning and evidence that are used to reach a conclusion.

Knowing your listening style can help you ethically adapt your listening

style to the speaking styles of the speakers you hear. For example, if you are

an analytical listener and a speaker is telling long, meandering stories, or a

relational-oriented listener and you’re listening to a message that’s primarily

facts, principles, and ideas, you’ll have to tell yourself to concentrate harder on

the message.

BECOME AN ACTIVE LISTENER An active listener is one who remains alert

and mentally re-sorts, rephrases, and repeats key information when listening to

a speech, as described in the How To box. Because you can listen to words much

faster than a speaker can speak them, it’s natural for your mind to wander. But

you can use the extra time to focus on interpreting what the speaker says.

Become an Active Listener

If you follow these steps for active listening, you will find yourself feeling stimulated and engaged

instead of tired and bored as you listen to even the dullest of speakers:

1. Re-sort. If the speaker is rambling, seek ways to rearrange his or her ideas into a new,
   more logical pattern. For example, sometimes you can re-sort the ideas into a chronological
   pattern: What happened first, second, and so on? Listen for “information handles” provided
   by the speaker in the form of preview, transitions, signposts, and summary statements to
   help you to re-sort and remain actively involved as a listener.


2. Rephrase. Listen for main ideas, and then paraphrase those ideas in your own words. You
   are more likely to remember your mental paraphrase than the speaker’s exact words. If you
   can, try to mentally summarize what the speaker is saying in a phrase that might fit on a
   bumper sticker.


3. Repeat. Periodically, repeat to yourself key points you want to remember. Go back to
   essential ideas, and restate them to yourself every five minutes or so.

HOW TO

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