80 5.3 Listening to speeches
Listen Ethically
An effective listener does more than just gain an accurate understanding of a
speaker’s message; effective listeners are also ethical listeners. An ethical listener
participates in a communication by honestly communicating his or her expecta-
tions, providing helpful feedback, and being sensitive to and tolerating differences
when listening to others. In the fourth century b.c.e., Aristotle warned, “Let men
be on their guard against those who flatter and mislead the multitude.” And con-
temporary rhetorician Harold Barrett has said that the audience is the “necessary
source of correction” for the behavior of a speaker.^21 The following guidelines for
ethical listening incorporate what Barrett calls “attributes of the good audience.”
COMMUNICATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND FEEDBACK As an audience
member, you have the right—even the responsibility—to enter a communication sit-
uation with expectations about both the message and how the speaker will deliver
it. Know what information and ideas you want to get out of the communication
transaction. Expect a coherent, organized, and competently delivered presentation.
Communicate your objectives and react to the speaker’s message and deliv-
ery through appropriate nonverbal and verbal feedback. For example, maintain
eye contact with the speaker. Nod in agreement when you support something
the speaker says. There is evidence that by being a supportive listener in these
ways, you help the speaker to feel more comfortable and less nervous.^22 We’re
not suggesting, however, that you fake your support for a speaker. If you show,
with an honest, quizzical look, that you do not understand a speaker’s point,
you can help an attentive, audience-centered speaker to rephrase the message
for better listener comprehension. Turn your head to one side and tilt it slightly
forward to communicate that you’re having trouble hearing. If a question-and-
answer period follows the speech, ask any questions that you still have about
the speaker’s topic or point of view.
BE SENSITIVE TO AND TOLERANT OF DIFFERENCES As an ethical listener,
remember that your preferred approach to speaking and listening may differ from
the approach a speaker is using. But your preference doesn’t make the speaker’s
approach a wrong one. For example, suppose you were to attend a high school
baccalaureate ceremony at which the speaker was a dynamic African American
minister who used a duet-style, call-and-response type of speaking, in which the
audience periodically responds verbally to the speaker. If you were to dismiss the
minister’s delivery as too flamboyant, you might miss out on a powerful message.
BE AWARE THAT DIFFERENT CULTURES HAVE DIFFERENT STYLES OF
SPEAKING Diverse cultural norms can sometimes pose a complex ethical-
listening challenge. For example, political and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson
has in the past been accused of making dishonest claims in some of his speeches
about his background and behavior. He has said that he left the University of Illi-
nois because of racism on the football team, which caused him to be passed over
for starting quarterback—yet former teammates insist that he did not become
starting quarterback simply because he was not the strongest player. Jackson hasM05_BEEB3981_05_SE_C05_065-094.indd 80 07/11/14 11:45 AM