Chapter 4 Listening

Listening in Everyday Communication Most frequent communication activity (12 hours daily) Often taken for granted Accounts for 90% of instruction Most neglected communication skill Builds careers and relationships

Listening Objectives To develop and enhance relationships To gain and comprehend information To evaluate messages (critical) To appreciate and enjoy (aesthetic) To help others talk through problems (therapeutic)

The Listening Process Hearing and listening are not the same! Active listening takes: 1.Receiving (hearing) 2.Attending 3.Interpreting (understanding) 4.Responding (reflecting)

Understanding Engaged Listening Engaged vs. disengaged listening Engaged listening enhances communication as transaction Engaged listening enables deeper understanding

Understanding Relational Listening Requires thinking about: How messages affect your relationship with another person How your relationship with another person affects messages

Improving Your Listening Skills Avoid or control distractions – Environmental – Medium – Source – Semantic

Avoid Poor Listening Habits Content/representational (literal) listening Selective listening Egocentric listening

Other Barriers to Effective Listening Wandering thoughts Experiential superiority Status issues Past experience Message complexity

Defining Critical Listening “The process of analyzing and evaluating the accuracy, legitimacy, and value of messages.” Not always negative or fault- finding

Understanding Critical Listening Part of everyday life Used in personal relationships, classrooms, consumer buying decisions

Elements of Critical Listening Plausibility (does the message seem legitimate) Source (is this person trustworthy or experienced?) Argument (is it consistent and supported well?)

Evaluating Evidence Verifiability (can other people or sources confirm the information or claims?) Quality (is evidence from credible, unbiased, and timely sources?)

Recognizing Fallacious Arguments Argument against the source (sometimes called ad hominem if a personal attack) Appeal to authority Appeal to people (bandwagon)

Recognizing Fallacious Arguments Appeal to relationships Post hoc ergo propter hoc (after this, therefore, because of this) Cum hoc ergo propter hoc (same time, therefore, because of this) Hasty generalization Red herring (diversionary)

Recognizing Fallacious Arguments False alternatives (either/or) Composition (parts are same as whole Division (whole is same as parts) Equivocation (use of ambiguous language)