Page 156 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Chapter 5 Listening 123

One of the best ways to improve as a speaker
(reward) is to observe and listen to other
speakers. By listening to and observing other
speakers we often uncover techniques and
tactics we can model in the effort to improve
our own speeches.
• Listen with as many sensory channels as possible.
Communicating in general and speaking spe-
cifi cally involve verbal and nonverbal behav-
iors. Eye contact, movement and gestures, for
example, do not simply complement the con-
tent of a speech. They enrich both the meaning
and impact of the entire speech transaction.
Checking what people say verbally against
what their nonverbal behavior communicates
also can help you in accurately understanding
what is being said.
• Block out distracting stimuli. This includes avoid-
ing distracting thoughts as well as external
distractions such as looking out the window.
• Suspend judgment. Regardless of the type of To improve his chances of being understood, our
listening, the same principles that apply to former student and San Francisco radio news reporter
Bret Burkhart uses sound to convey visual as well as
critical listening apply here—don’t prejudge a
verbal information to his audience.
speaker and don’t rely on stereotypes. Keep
an open mind.
• Focus on the main points. It’s too easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees.
Ask yourself what the speaker’s main points are and resist the temptation to
fi xate on minor details.
• Listen for highlights and transitions. These verbal cues will help you know
what’s most important to a speaker’s message and when the speaker is mov-
ing on to a new main point.
• Take effective notes. As Nichols and Lewis point out, there are numerous ways
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to take notes. Outlining is an obvious method, but there are less obvious
ones as well. For example, you can record your notes in two columns, one
for facts and the other for principles. Another useful technique is to listen for
a while without taking notes and then write a brief paragraph summarizing
what has been said. This technique allows you to alternate between intense
listening and note-taking in three- or four-minute intervals.

Summary
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Listening is necessary to becoming a competent speaker and audience member.
Keep the following principles in mind: To evaluate your understand-
ing of this chapter, visit our
Online Learning Center Web
• Listening is the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and re-
site for quizzes and other
sponding to spoken and/or nonverbal messages. chapter study aids.