Chapter 3

Critical Listening

Listening Styles

• Reluctant

• Appreciative

• Empathic

• Comprehensive

• Critical

• Aggressive

The Process of Listening

• Sensation

• Selection

• Interpretation

• Evaluation

• Response

Three Common Listening Errors

• Additions

• Deletions

• Substitutions

• Caused by lack of motivation, difficulties with access (problems with “channel”), and/or poor listening skills.

10 Keys to Effective Listening

• Find areas of interest.• Judge content, not

delivery.• Hold your fire.• Listen for ideas.• Be flexible.

• Work at listening.• Resist distractions.• Exercise your mind.• Keep your mind open.• Take advantage of the

“thinking-speaking ratio” (p. 99).

Improving Your Listening Skills

Moving from unconscious incompetence

to

conscious incompetence,

then

conscious competence,

and finally, to

• unconscious competence!

Improving Critical Listening

• Listen for invalid predictions & interpretations of chance events.

• Watch out for secondhand information. Check your sources!

• Beware wishful thinking.

• “Conventional wisdom” isn’t always wise.

• Use language effectively.