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4.6: Listening Critically

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    14630
    • Anonymous
    • LibreTexts
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    Learning Objectives
    1. Define and explain critical listening and its importance in the public speaking context.
    2. Understand six distinct ways to improve ability to critically listen to speeches.
    3. Evaluate what it means to be an ethical listener.

    Students are exposed to many kinds of messages: messages conveying academic information, institutional rules, instructions, and warnings. Students also receive messages through political discourse, advertisements, gossip, jokes, song lyrics, text messages, invitations, web links, and all other manner of communication. It’s not all the same, but it isn’t always clear how to separate the truth from the messages that are misleading or even blatantly false. Nor is it always clear which messages are intended to help the listener and which ones are merely self-serving for the speaker. Part of being a good listener is to learn when to use caution in evaluating the messages we hear.

    women listening

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Amanda Mills, USCDCP – Good Listener – CCO

    Critical listening in this context means using careful, systematic thinking and reasoning to see whether a message makes sense in light of factual evidence. Critical listening can be learned with practice but is not necessarily easy to do. Some people never learn this skill; instead, they take every message at face value even when those messages are in conflict with their knowledge. Problems occur when messages are repeated to others who have not yet developed the skills to discern the difference between a valid message and a mistaken one. Critical listening can be particularly difficult when the message is complex. Unfortunately, some speakers may make their messages intentionally complex to avoid critical scrutiny. For example, a city treasurer giving a budget presentation might use very large words and technical jargon, which make it difficult for listeners to understand the proposed budget and ask probing questions.

    Six Ways to Improve Critical Listening

    Critical listening is first and foremost a skill that can be learned and improved. In this section, we are going to explore six different techniques you can use to become a more critical listener.

    Recognizing the Difference between Facts & Opinions

    Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan is credited with saying, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts” (Wikiquote). Part of critical listening is learning to separate opinions from facts, and this works two ways: critical listeners are aware of whether a speaker is delivering a factual message or a message based on opinion, and they are also aware of the interplay between their own opinions and facts as they listen to messages.

    In American politics, and throughout the world, COVID became highly politicized, and the politicization was fueled by difficulty in sorting through opinions and facts. A clash of fact versus opinion happened multiple times at the beginning of the Pandemic and continued throughout the Pandemic. On Monday, July 6th,2020 former President Donald Trump stated, "We now have the lowest fatality (mortality) rate in the world." However, this was false information. "At the time, it had the world's ninth-worst mortality rate, with 41.33 deaths per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University" (Paz, 2020, para. 10).

    Often when people have a negative opinion about a topic, they are unwilling to accept facts. Instead, they question all aspects of the speech and have a negative predisposition toward both the speech and the speaker.

    This is not to say that speakers should not express their opinions. Many of the greatest speeches in history include personal opinions. Consider, for example, Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, in which he expressed his personal wish for the future of American society. Critical listeners may agree or disagree with a speaker’s opinions, but the point is that they know when a message they are hearing is based on opinion and when it is factual.

    Uncovering Assumptions

    If something is factual, supporting evidence exists. However, we still need to be careful about what evidence does and does not mean. Assumptions are gaps in a logical sequence that listeners passively fill with their own ideas and opinions and may or may not be accurate. When listening to a public speech, we may find ourselves being asked to assume something is a fact when in reality many people question that fact. For example, suppose we are listening to a speech on weight loss. The speaker talks about how people who are overweight are simply not motivated or lack the self-discipline to lose weight. The speaker has built the speech on the assumption that motivation and self-discipline are the only reasons why people can’t lose weight. We may think to ourselves, though, what about genetics? By listening critically, we will be more likely to notice unwarranted assumptions in a speech, which may prompt questions to the speaker or to do further research to examine the validity of the speaker’s assumptions. If, however, we sit passively by and let the speaker’s assumptions go unchallenged, we may find ourselves persuaded by information that is not factual.

    When we listen critically to a speech, we might hear information that appears unsupported by evidence. We shouldn’t accept that information unconditionally. We would accept it under the condition that the speaker offers credible evidence that directly supports it.

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Facts vs. Assumptions
    Facts Assumptions
    Facts are verified by clear, unambiguous evidence. Assumptions are not supported by evidence.
    Most facts can be tested. Assumptions about the future cannot be tested in the present.

    Be Open to New Ideas

    Sometimes people are so fully invested in their perceptions of the world that they are unable to listen receptively to messages that make sense and would be of great benefit to them. Human progress has been possible, sometimes against great odds, because of the mental curiosity and discernment of a few people. In the late 1700s when the technique of vaccination to prevent smallpox was introduced, it was opposed by both medical professionals and everyday citizens who staged public protests (Edward Jenner Museum). More than two centuries later, vaccinations against smallpox, diphtheria, polio, and other infectious diseases have saved countless lives, yet popular opposition continues, something we have seen during the Pandemic.

    In the world of public speaking, we must be open to new ideas. Let’s face it, people have a tendency to filter out information they disagree with and to filter in information that supports what they already believe. Nicolaus Copernicus was a sixteenth-century astronomer who dared to publish a treatise explaining that the earth revolves around the sun, which was a violation of Catholic doctrine. Copernicus’s astronomical findings were labeled heretical and his treatise banned because a group of people at the time were not open to new ideas. In May of 2010, almost five hundred years after his death, the Roman Catholic Church admitted its error and reburied his remains with the full rites of Catholic burial (Owen, 2010).

    While the Copernicus case is a fairly dramatic reversal, listeners should always be open to new ideas. We are not suggesting that you have to agree with every idea that you are faced with in life; rather, we are suggesting that you at least listen to the message and then evaluate the message.

    Rely on Reason & Common Sense

    If we are listening to a speech and common sense tells us that the message is illogical, we might be right. However, we should be thinking about whether the speech seems credible and coherent. In this way, our use of common sense can act as a warning system.

    One of our coauthors once heard a speech on the environmental hazards of fireworks. The speaker argued that fireworks (the public kind, not the personal kind people buy and set off in their backyards) were environmentally hazardous because of litter. Although there is certainly some paper that makes it to the ground before burning up, the amount of litter created by fireworks displays is relatively small compared to other sources of litter, including trash left behind by all the spectators watching fireworks at public parks and other venues. It just does not make sense to identify a few bits of charred paper as a major environmental hazard.

    If a message is inconsistent with things already known to be true, if the argument is illogical, or if the language is exaggerated, investigate the issues before accepting or rejecting the message. Often, we are unable to take this step during the presentation of the message; it may take longer to collect enough knowledge to determine whether or not a message was true.

    As speakers, we should not substitute common sense for evidence. That’s why during a speech it’s necessary to cite the authority of scholars whose research is irrefutable, or at least highly credible. It is all too easy to make a mistake in reasoning, sometimes called fallacy, in stating a case. One of the most common fallacies is post hoc, ergo propter hoc, a “common sense” form of logic that translates roughly as “after the fact, therefore because of the fact.” The argument says that if A happened first, followed by B, then A caused B. We know the outcome cannot occur earlier than the cause, but we also know that the two events might be related indirectly or that causality works in a different direction. For instance, imagine a speaker arguing that because the sun rises after a rooster’s crow, the rooster caused the sun to rise. This argument is clearly illogical because roosters crow many times each day, and the sun’s rising and setting do not change according to crowing or lack thereof. But the two events are related in a different way. Roosters tend to wake up and begin crowing at first light, about forty-five minutes before sunrise. Thus it is the impending sunrise that causes the predawn crowing.

    It is important not to assume that our audience shares the beliefs that are, for us, common sense, as common sense is often created in community and often bound by cultural beliefs. Likewise, if the message of a speech is complex or controversial, consider the needs of the audience and explain its complexities factually and logically, not intuitively.

    Relate New Ideas to Old Ones

    As both a speaker and a listener, one of the most important things we can do to understand a message is to relate new ideas to previously held ideas. Imagine giving a speech about biological systems and using the term “homeostasis,” which refers to the ability of an organism to maintain stability by making constant adjustments. To help the audience understand homeostasis, we could show how homeostasis is similar to adjustments made by the thermostats that keep our homes at a more or less even temperature. If we set our thermostats for seventy degrees and it gets hotter, the central cooling will kick in and cool our houses down. If our houses gets below seventy degrees, our heater will kick in and heat our houses up. Notice that in both cases our thermostats are making constant adjustments to stay at seventy degrees. Explaining that the body’s homeostasis works in a similar way will make it more relevant to listeners and will likely help them both understand and remember the idea, as it links to something they have already experienced.

    Making effective comparisons while listening can deepen the understanding of a message. Providing those comparisons for listeners makes it easier for them to give consideration to the new ideas.

    Take Notes

    Note-taking is a skill that improves with practice. As we already know, it nearly impossible to write down everything a speaker says. In fact, in our attempt to record everything, we might fall behind and wish we had divided our attention differently between writing and listening.

    Careful, selective note-taking is important because we want an accurate record that reflects the meanings of the message. However much we might concentrate on the notes, we could inadvertently leave out an important word, such as not, and undermine the reliability of our otherwise carefully written notes. Instead, if we give the same care and attention to listening, we are less likely to make that kind of a mistake.

    It’s important to find a balance between listening well and taking good notes. Many people struggle with this balance for a long time. For example, if we try to write down only key phrases instead of full sentences, we might find that we can’t remember how two ideas were related. In that case, too few notes were taken. At the opposite end, extensive note-taking can result in a loss of emphasis on the most important ideas.

    To increase critical listening skills, continue developing an ability to identify the central issues in messages so that notes represent the meanings intended by the speaker.

    Listening Ethically

    Ethical listening rests heavily on honest intentions. We should extend to speakers the same respect we want to receive when it’s our turn to speak. We should be facing the speaker with our eyes open. We should not be checking our cell phones. We should avoid any behavior that belittles the speaker or the message.

    A man using a string telephone
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Ben Smith – String telephone – CC BY-SA 2.0.

    Scholars Stephanie Coopman and James Lull (2008) emphasize the creation of a climate of caring and mutual understanding, observing that “respecting others’ perspectives is one hallmark of the effective listener" (p. 60). Respect, or unconditional positive regard for others, means that you treat others with consideration and decency whether we agree with them or not. Professors Sprague, Stuart, and Bodary (2010). also urge us to treat the speaker with respect even when we disagree, don’t understand the message, or find the speech boring.

    Doug Lippman (1998), a storytelling coach, wrote powerfully and sensitively about listening in his book:

    Like so many of us, I used to take listening for granted, glossing over this step as I rushed into the more active, visible ways of being helpful. Now, I am convinced that listening is the single most important element of any helping relationship.

    Listening has great power. It draws thoughts and feelings out of people as nothing else can. When someone listens to you well, you become aware of feelings you may not have realized that you felt. You have ideas you may have never thought before. You become more eloquent, more insightful.…

    As a helpful listener, I do not interrupt you. I do not give advice. I do not do something else while listening to you. I do not convey distraction through nervous mannerisms. I do not finish your sentences for you. In spite of all my attempts to understand you, I do not assume I know what you mean.

    I do not convey disapproval, impatience, or condescension. If I am confused, I show a desire for clarification, not dislike for your obtuseness. I do not act vindicated when you misspeak or correct yourself.

    I do not sit impassively, withholding participation.

    Instead, I project affection, approval, interest, and enthusiasm. I am your partner in communication. I am eager for your imminent success, fascinated by your struggles, forgiving of your mistakes, always expecting the best. I am your delighted listener (Lippman, 1998).

    This excerpt expresses the decency with which people should treat each other. It doesn’t mean we must accept everything we hear, but ethically, we should refrain from trivializing each other’s concerns. We have all had the painful experience of being ignored or misunderstood. This is how we know that one of the greatest gifts one human can give to another is listening.

    Key Takeaways

    • Critical listening is the process a listener goes through using careful, systematic thinking and reasoning to see whether a speaker’s message makes sense in light of factual evidence. When listeners are not critical of the messages they are attending to, they are more likely to be persuaded by illogical arguments based on opinions and not facts.
    • Critical listening can be improved by employing one or more strategies to help the listener analyze the message: recognize the difference between facts and opinions, uncover assumptions given by the speaker, be open to new ideas, use both reason and common sense when analyzing messages, relate new ideas to old ones, and take useful notes.
    • Being an ethical listener means giving respectful attention to the ideas of a speaker, even though you may not agree with or accept those ideas.

    Exercises

    1. Think of a time when you were too tired or distracted to give your full attention to the ideas in a speech. What did you do? What should you have done?
    2. Give an example of a mistake in reasoning that involved the speaker mistaking an assumption for fact.

    References


    This page titled 4.6: Listening Critically is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Anonymous via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.