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Listening and Speaking Skills
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 Listening
Skills
You probably spend more time using your listening
skills than any other kind of skill. Like other skills, listening
takes practice.
What does it mean to really listen?
Real listening is an active process that has three
basic steps:
- Hearing. Hearing just means listening enough to
catch what the speaker is saying. For example, say you were
listening to a report on zebras, and the speaker mentioned that no
two are alike. If you can repeat the fact, then you have heard what
has been said.
- Understanding. The next part of listening happens
when you take what you have heard and understand it in your own way.
Let's go back to that report on zebras. When you hear that no two
are alike, think about what that might mean. You might think, "Maybe
this means that the pattern of stripes is different for each zebra."
- Judging. After you are sure you understand what
the speaker has said, think about whether it makes sense. Do you
believe what you have heard? You might think, "How could the stripes
to be different for every zebra? But then again, the fingerprints
are different for every person. I think this seems believable."
Tips for being a good listener
- Give your full attention on the person who is
speaking. Don't look out the window or at what else is going on in
the room.
- Make sure your mind is focused, too. It can be
easy to let your mind wander if you think you know what the person
is going to say next, but you might be wrong! If you feel your mind
wandering, change the position of your body and try to concentrate
on the speaker's words.
- Let the speaker finish before you begin to talk.
Speakers appreciate having the chance to say everything they would
like to say without being interrupted. When you interrupt, it looks
like you aren't listening, even if you really are.
- Let yourself finish listening before you begin to
speak! You can't really listen if you are busy thinking about what
you want say next.
- Listen for main ideas. The main ideas are the
most important points the speaker wants to get across. They may be
mentioned at the start or end of a talk, and repeated a number of
times. Pay special attention to statements that begin with phrases
such as "My point is..." or "The thing to remember is..."
- Ask questions. If you are not sure you understand
what the speaker has said, just ask. It is a good idea to repeat in
your own words what the speaker said so that you can be sure your
understanding is correct. For example, you might say, "When you said
that no two zebras are alike, did you mean that the stripes are
different on each one?"
- Give feedback. Sit up straight and look directly
at the speaker. Now and then, nod to show that you understand. At
appropriate points you may also smile, frown, laugh, or be silent.
These are all ways to let the speaker know that you are really
listening. Remember, you listen with your face as well as your ears!
Thinking fast
Remember: time is on your side! Thoughts move about
four times as fast as speech. With practice, while you are listening
you will also be able to think about what you are hearing, really
understand it, and give feedback to the speaker.
|
 Public
Speaking
| is the art or practice of making a speech
before an audience. In group or club events, there are many
opportunities to make speeches. People who speak effectively are
likely to become leaders. Training in effective public speaking
is a key part of training for leadership in any field of
activity. |
| Speakers who have a specific purpose and are
successful in attaining it are said to be effective. If
they try to inform, they are effective when the members of their
audience understand the facts. If they try to persuade members
of the audience to agree to do something or to change their
opinions, the speakers are effective when members of the
audience decide to take the action or when they do change their
minds. If speakers try to entertain the audience, they are
effective when the audience shows by applause or laughter that
they are enjoying the speech. |
Approach to a speech
| Speakers must consider four points: (1) their
subject, (2) their audience, (3) themselves as speakers, and (4)
their occasion. |
Subjects
| The speaker's direct and indirect experiences
are the two general sources of speech subjects. Direct
experience is knowledge obtained by actual participation in
events. Indirect experience is knowledge obtained from
radio, television, reading, and listening to other people.
Speakers can usually make a more effective presentation with
subjects from their direct experiences. Subjects should
stimulate speakers to their best efforts. At the same time, they
must appeal to the audience and be keyed to the knowledge and
experience of the listeners. |
| Subjects may be divided into three types:
those which inform, those which persuade, and
those which entertain. All are important. |
| Some examples of informative subjects
are:" Basic principles of computers The feeding
habits of snakes How steel is made" |
| Some examples of persuasive subjects
are:" The 12-month school year should be adopted.
The United States should abolish the Electoral College and adopt
a system to provide for the direct popular election of the
President. Capital punishment should be
abolished." |
| Some examples of entertaining subjects are:"
Do teachers have private lives?
Inventions that never worked Pets as members of the
family" |
Audiences
| Speakers must consider the knowledge and the
wants of their audiences. They should find out what the members
of their audience already know about the subject. The problem of
explaining the operation and maintenance of a new microwave oven
to a group of electrical engineers is different from explaining
it to people who know little about electricity. |
| The speaker who attempts to persuade an
audience should know their attitudes or opinions. If speakers
know beforehand that their audience is opposed to their
proposal, then they know that they face a different problem from
that of persuading a favorable audience. |
| Speakers should also know whether the members
of their audience want to hear about a subject. People usually
listen only when they think the speaker's ideas will be of some
benefit to them. |
Speakers
| The speaker's personality is probably the
most important factor in influencing audiences. Speakers should
consider how the audience will view them. |
Occasions
| Speakers should think carefully about the
time and place of their speeches. Is the occasion appropriate
for the subject they have chosen? The meeting of a sailing club
would hardly be an appropriate occasion for a speech designed to
sell household appliances. However, such a meeting would be
appropriate for a speech designed to raise money for new
sailboats. |
Planning the speech
| When speakers have given careful thought to
their subject, their audience, their own personality, and the
occasion, they are ready to plan the speech itself. |
Purpose
| Speakers should first select their general
purpose. Do they wish to present factual information only, or to
inform? Do they wish to change beliefs or actions, or
persuade? Or do they wish to amuse, or to entertain?
With their general purpose in mind, they should prepare a brief
statement of their specific purpose. Examples of specific
purposes are:" Informative. Tell a class how steel is
made. Persuasive. Convince an audience that
Congress should propose a constitutional amendment to abolish
the Electoral College and to provide for the direct popular
election of the President. Entertaining.
Amuse a school assembly with a humorous look at the private
lives of teachers." |
The main ideas
| The next step should be to select the main
ideas, or main divisions, of the subject as stated in the
specific purpose. In informative speeches, the main ideas should
define the specific purpose by answering the questions who?
what? where? when? why? and how?
In persuasive speeches, the main ideas ought to be the principal
reasons for the desired belief or action. In entertaining
speeches, the main ideas should be the divisions of the subject
that can be amusing to the audience. |
Supporting material
| After selecting the main ideas, speakers
should choose supporting material. This includes such things as
description, narration, comparisons, examples, testimony,
statistics, visual aids (charts, diagrams, demonstrations,
slides, maps, motion pictures, photographs, samples, or working
models), and repetition (restatement of important ideas
to increase the chance that they will be remembered). The
selection of main ideas and supporting material completes the
body (main part) of the speech. |
Introduction
| Speakers should next plan the introduction.
This usually has two parts, the opening and the statement of the
specific purpose. In the opening, speakers catch the
attention of their audience and arouse interest in their
subject. They can do this by telling a joke or story, or by
providing a fact or statistic. They may refer to an event, or to
the present occasion, place, or audience (with humor or
congratulations). They may quote something or ask a question. In
their statement of specific purpose, they tell the
audience precisely what they intend to do in their speech and
what value this topic has for the audience. |
Conclusion
| Next comes the preparation of a conclusion.
In informative speeches, this part should be a summary of the
main ideas and specific purpose. In persuasive speeches, the
conclusion should combine a summary with a final appeal to the
audience to accept the arguments offered. Entertaining speeches
usually end on a point of great amusement, without any type of
formal conclusion. |
Outline
| After all these steps, speakers should
prepare an outline. To see a sample outline for the subject
"Congress should propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution
to abolish the Electoral College and to provide for the direct
popular election of the President." see the Public Speaking
article in the print version of The
World Book Encyclopedia. |
Delivering the speech
| Speakers may deliver their talks directly
from the outline, or they may use the outline as the basis for a
written speech. Skilled speakers usually prefer to speak from
the outline, without writing the whole speech down. |
| A speech that is delivered from an outline,
without being memorized, is said to be delivered extempore,
or extemporaneously. Extempore speeches should not be
confused with impromptu speeches. These types of speeches
are made without any previous preparation, often without notice. |
| If speakers are properly prepared, they
should feel at ease in front of an audience. They should relax
and speak in a natural voice. They should stand erect, make eye
contact with individuals in the audience, and speak loudly
enough to be heard easily. In addition, speakers should vary the
pitch and volume of their voice and their rate of speech to
avoid being singsong or dull. |
James M. Copeland M.A., Executive Secretary, National Forensic
League. |
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