Chapter 4: Listening
Listening is the process of receiving, attending to, and assigning meaning to aural as well as visual and tactile stimuli. Active listening is a necessary skill in public speaking, and it encompasses active mindfulness, selective attention, sensorial involvement, comprehension, and retention. There can be many obstacles to effective listening, including physical conditions, cultural differences, personal problems, bias, connotative meanings, and anxiety. Appreciative listening involves obtaining sensory stimulation or enjoyment throughout the words and experiences of others. Critical listening has the purpose of making reasoned judgments about speakers and the credibility of their messages.
To improve your overall listening skills, set goals, block out distracting stimuli, suspend judgment, focus on the main points, recognize highlights and signposts, take effective notes, be sensitive to metacommunication, paraphrase, and question. Remember that we spend far more of our lifetime as listeners than speakers, so it is important that you master this skill.
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