Chapter 3: Critical Listening 3.1 Multiple Choice 1. Listening accounts for about what percent of your communicative time? a. 60 percent b. 40 percent c. 30 percent d. 20 percent b. 40 percent Rationale: Listening accounts for about 40 percent of communicative time, making it a significant aspect of communication. 2. Which of the following is a barrier to effective listening? a. passive listening b. perceptual attribution c. discriminating listening d. audiological listening Answer: a. passive listening Rationale: Passive listening is a barrier to effective listening because it involves receiving messages without actively attempting to comprehend them, which can lead to misunderstanding or misinterpretation. 3. John is having a difficult time listening to a lecture because two of his classmates are laughing and talking while the professor is lecturing. John is having difficulty with which part of the listening process? a. Thinking b. Evaluating c. Hearing d. Interpreting Answer: c. Hearing Rationale: John's difficulty in listening to the lecture due to his classmates' noise indicates a problem with the hearing aspect of the listening process, as he is unable to properly perceive the speaker's message. 4. When a listener is distracted by elements outside of his/her own thoughts, what barrier to good listening is exhibited? a. passive listening b. physical distractions c. drifting thoughts d. self-fulfilling prophecy Answer: b. physical distractions Rationale: Physical distractions, such as noise or movement in the environment, can interfere with a listener's ability to focus on and comprehend the speaker's message. 5. All of the following are true about listening EXCEPT a. it is the same as hearing. b. it is a physiological process. c. it is a psychological process. d. it is a component of hearing. Answer: a. it is the same as hearing. Rationale: Listening and hearing are not the same. Hearing is the physiological process of perceiving sound, while listening involves actively paying attention and making an effort to understand the message being communicated. 6. Bob is not very good in math and science, but is being forced to take a physics class. He has also heard that Professor Jones is an incredibly dull and boring lecturer. Which barrier to effective listening is likely to play an important part in Bob's ability to do well in this class? a. passive listening b. drifting thoughts c. self-fulfilling prophecy d. trigger words Answer: c. self-fulfilling prophecy Rationale: Bob's preconceived notion that Professor Jones is a boring lecturer may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy where Bob is less motivated to listen and engage in the class, impacting his ability to do well. 7. When we spend time mentally debating the speaker and getting stuck on one idea, our distractions arise from a. passive listening. b. trigger words. c. drifting thoughts. d. self-fulfilling prophecies. Answer: b. trigger words. Rationale: Trigger words are specific words or phrases that evoke strong emotions or thoughts, causing the listener to become distracted from the main message and focus on a particular idea or concept. 8. If predetermined ideas about the speaker, the topic, or the occasion interfere with listening, our distractions arise from a. self-fulfilling prophecies. b. trigger words. c. passive listening. d. drifting thoughts. Answer: a. self-fulfilling prophecies. Rationale: Predetermined ideas can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies, where the listener's expectations influence their interpretation of the message, causing them to become distracted from the actual content. 9. If you walk into a seminar with the idea that it is a waste of time, you are likely to end up suffering from what barrier to good listening? a. trigger words b. self-fulfilling prophecy c. passive listening d. drifting thoughts Answer: b. self-fulfilling prophecy Rationale: If you believe the seminar is a waste of time, you may be less motivated to listen and engage, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy where you confirm your initial belief. 10. Bobby's dad is talking to him after having learned that he was in a fight. His dad is calm and while saying he doesn't want Bobby fighting, wants to know if he won the fight. When Bobby says he won, his dad smiles. Bobby decides his dad isn't really upset with his fighting. His ability to identify his dad's true attitude toward fighting is derived from what kind of listening? a. therapeutic listening b. discriminative listening c. critical listening d. listening for comprehension Answer: b. discriminative listening Rationale: Bobby's ability to discern his dad's true attitude toward fighting, despite his words, indicates discriminative listening, where he is able to understand the underlying meaning behind his dad's words and tone. 11. Which of the following is an example of empathic listening? a. listening to music on the radio b. listening to a friend in need of help or support c. listening to a siren as you drive d. listening to a lecture on the benefits of exercise Answer: b. listening to a friend in need of help or support Rationale: Empathic listening involves listening with the intent to understand and share the feelings of the speaker, which is exemplified by listening to a friend in need of help or support. 12. All of the following are examples of appreciative listening EXCEPT a. listening to the rushing water of the river. b. listening to music on your favorite CD. c. listening to ex-President Jimmy Carter's speech. d. listening to a comedian at a comedy club. Answer: c. listening to ex-President Jimmy Carter's speech. Rationale: Appreciative listening involves listening for enjoyment or pleasure, such as listening to music or a comedian, but listening to a speech, even by a notable figure like ex-President Jimmy Carter, is typically done for informational or critical purposes rather than pure enjoyment. 13. When we listen to a message for the purpose of drawing conclusions from the way a message is presented rather than from what is said, we are engaged in what type of listening? a. discriminative listening b. comprehensive listening c. empathic listening d. appreciative listening Answer: a. discriminative listening Rationale: Discriminative listening involves focusing on the nuances of how a message is delivered, such as tone, pitch, and nonverbal cues, rather than the content itself. In this scenario, the listener is analyzing the presentation of the message to draw conclusions, making it an example of discriminative listening. It's important to note that comprehensive listening (b) focuses on understanding the entirety of a message, empathic listening (c) involves understanding and sharing the feelings of the speaker, and appreciative listening (d) involves listening for enjoyment or appreciation, none of which directly align with the scenario described. 14. A jury member's most significant listening task is a. listening for comprehension. b. critical listening. c. discriminative listening. d. therapeutic listening. Answer: b. critical listening. Rationale: A jury member's role involves critically evaluating the evidence and arguments presented during a trial to make an informed decision, making critical listening their most significant listening task. 16. Randy is listening to his friend, Susan, who has just had an argument with her best friend. Which type of listening is Randy engaged in? a. appreciative listening b. empathic listening c. listening for comprehension d. critical listening Answer: b. empathic listening Rationale: Randy is engaged in empathic listening, as he is listening to Susan with the intention of understanding and sharing her feelings regarding the argument with her best friend. 17. The type of listening that is most effective when listening to a public speaker is called a. listening for comprehension. b. appreciative. c. discriminative. d. critical. Answer: a. listening for comprehension. Rationale: Listening for comprehension is most effective when listening to a public speaker because it involves understanding the content and message of the speech. 18. Some sports fans are listening to a player apologize for his unprofessional behavior. They listen patiently and respectfully as the player explains why he is sorry for his actions. Their primary purpose in listening is a. appreciative. b. discriminative. c. empathic. d. critical. Answer: c. empathic. Rationale: The sports fans' primary purpose in listening is empathic, as they are listening to understand and share the player's feelings of remorse for his actions. 19. Natalie is listening to her friend, Solomon, as he describes his disappointment in not being accepted into graduate school. Natalie is engaged in what type of listening? a. comprehensive b. appreciative c. empathic d. passive Answer: c. empathic Rationale: Natalie is engaged in empathic listening, as she is listening to Solomon with the intent to understand and share his feelings of disappointment. 20. When your purpose in listening is to gain additional information or insights, you are engaged in a. listening for comprehension. b. critical listening. c. discriminative listening. d. therapeutic listening. Answer: a. listening for comprehension. Rationale: Listening for comprehension involves actively listening to gain a better understanding of the information or insights being presented. 21. The most sophisticated and difficult kind of listening is a. therapeutic listening. b. listening for comprehension. c. discriminative listening. d. critical listening. Answer: d. critical listening. Rationale: Critical listening involves analyzing and evaluating information presented by the speaker, requiring a high level of cognitive effort and the ability to discern the validity and significance of the message. 22. If you draw conclusions from the way a message is presented rather than from what is said, you are engaging in what type of listening? a. therapeutic b. comprehensive c. discriminative d. critical Answer: c. discriminative Rationale: Discriminative listening involves focusing on the manner in which a message is delivered, such as tone, pitch, and body language, rather than the actual content of the message. When someone draws conclusions based on the presentation rather than the content, they are employing discriminative listening skills. This type of listening helps individuals understand nuances in communication beyond the literal words spoken. It's important to distinguish discriminative listening (c) from comprehensive listening (b), which involves understanding the complete message, therapeutic listening (a), which is focused on providing support and empathy, and critical listening (d), which entails analyzing and evaluating the content of the message itself. has context menu 23. All of the following are examples of discriminative listening EXCEPT a. paying attention to what is not said in a message. b. trying to understand the contents of the message. c. listening to the choir practicing a new song. d. paying attention to the nonverbal cues of the speaker. Answer: b. trying to understand the contents of the message. Rationale: Discriminative listening focuses on aspects of the message other than its content, such as the nonverbal cues of the speaker or the context in which the message is delivered. 24. Which of the following is NOT an essential element of listening for comprehension? a. ideas b. structure c. supporting materials d. empathy Answer: d. empathy Rationale: While empathy can enhance understanding and communication, it is not considered an essential element of listening for comprehension, which primarily involves understanding the ideas, structure, and supporting materials of a message. 25. Which of the following is an element of assessment for both listening for comprehension and critical listening? a. assessing the structure of the ideas b. assessing the credibility of the speaker c. assessing the impact of the environment on message reception d. assessing the speaker's attitude toward the audience Answer: a. assessing the structure of the ideas Rationale: Both listening for comprehension and critical listening involve assessing the structure of the ideas presented in a message to understand its organization and coherence. 26. All of the following are ways to improve your listening skills EXCEPT a. taking fewer notes. b. getting organized. c. taking more notes. d. reviewing notes regularly. Answer: a. taking fewer notes. Rationale: Taking notes can help improve listening skills by aiding in retention and comprehension of information, so taking fewer notes would not be a recommended way to improve listening skills. 27. When you mentally identify the key ideas and phrases of a message so as to understand it, you are listening a. critically. b. for comprehension. c. appreciatively. d. therapeutically. Answer: b. for comprehension. Rationale: Listening for comprehension involves identifying key ideas and phrases in a message to understand its meaning and significance. 28. To help keep your attention centered on the message, you can use a. discriminative listening. b. the RRA technique. c. passive listening. d. structural analysis. Answer: b. the RRA technique. Rationale: The RRA (Review, Relate, Anticipate) technique involves actively reviewing the message, relating it to your own experiences or knowledge, and anticipating future information, which can help keep your attention focused on the message. 29. The RRA technique in listening stands for a. review, relate, and anticipate. b. relate, recall, and address. c. reduce, reuse, and apply. d. relevance, relate, and application. Answer: a. review, relate, and anticipate. Rationale: The RRA technique in listening stands for Review, Relate, and Anticipate, which are key steps in actively engaging with and understanding a message. 30. The responsibility for understanding the contents of a message depends on a. the number of main points in a speech. b. the speaker's aptitude for delivery. c. the audience's predisposition to the speaker. d. the speaker and the listener both working to make the speech transaction succeed. Answer: d. the speaker and the listener both working to make the speech transaction succeed. Rationale: Understanding a message is a collaborative process between the speaker and the listener, requiring both parties to actively engage and work together to ensure effective communication. 3.2 True/False 1. The speaker and listener are active partners in the communication process. Answer: True Rationale: Communication is a two-way process involving both the speaker and the listener. Both parties play an active role in the exchange of information, with the speaker encoding and transmitting messages, and the listener decoding and interpreting them. 2. Critical thinking is the process of consciously examining the content and logic of messages to determine their bases in the world of ideas and to assess their rationality. Answer: True Rationale: Critical thinking involves actively analyzing and evaluating information, arguments, and claims to determine their validity and logic. It requires a conscious effort to assess the content of messages and their logical foundations. 3. Hearing is the second step in the listening process. Answer: False Rationale: Hearing is the first step in the listening process. It is the physiological process of receiving sound waves through the ear and converting them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the brain. 4. Eric is sitting in a very warm room. As he is listening to the lecture, he begins to fall asleep. The physical environment has an effect on Eric's listening. Answer: True Rationale: The physical environment can have a significant impact on listening. Factors such as temperature, noise level, lighting, and comfort can affect a listener's ability to focus and remain attentive. 5. Perceptual fields that affect your listening can be both internal and external. Answer: True Rationale: Perceptual fields refer to the range of stimuli that can influence a person's perception and understanding of a message. These fields can include both internal factors, such as thoughts, emotions, and biases, as well as external factors, such as distractions in the environment. 6. Listeners' minds tend to wander because they comprehend ideas more rapidly than the speaking rate of the average speaker. Answer: True Rationale: Research suggests that listeners' minds may wander during communication because they are able to process and comprehend information at a faster rate than the average speaking rate. This can lead to boredom or disengagement if the speaker is not able to maintain the listener's attention. 7. Hearing is the thinking process whereby people generate meaning from sounds. Answer: False Rationale: Hearing is the physiological process of receiving sound waves through the ear and converting them into neural signals. Thinking, on the other hand, involves higher cognitive processes such as reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making. 8. The internal perceptual field is those things in your physical environment that can distract you. Answer: False Rationale: The internal perceptual field refers to the listener's thoughts, feelings, and experiences that can influence how they perceive and interpret a message. External distractions, such as noise or visual stimuli, are part of the external perceptual field. 9. Hearing is the physiological process of receiving sound waves. Answer: True Rationale: Hearing is a sensory process that involves the reception of sound waves by the ear, which are then converted into neural signals that can be processed by the brain. 10. When we allow our feelings, attitudes, and values to affect our listening, we are confronting the barrier of trigger words. Answer: True Rationale: Trigger words are words or phrases that evoke strong emotional responses or associations. When listeners allow their feelings, attitudes, and values to affect their listening, they may be more sensitive to these trigger words, which can hinder their ability to effectively receive and interpret the intended message. 11. Most people have predispositions about topics and people. Answer: True Rationale: Predispositions, or preexisting beliefs and attitudes, are common among individuals. These predispositions can influence how people perceive and interpret information, including during the process of communication. 12. When Roger heard the speaker use an offensive word in the speech, he began to fume about the word. Roger was experiencing a self-fulfilling prophecy as an effective listener. Answer: False Rationale: A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person's expectations or beliefs about a situation lead to those expectations or beliefs coming true. In this scenario, Roger's reaction to the offensive word is not an example of a self-fulfilling prophecy but rather a reaction to the speaker's choice of language. 13. The ultimate goal of appreciative listening is to give good advice to the speaker. Answer: False Rationale: The goal of appreciative listening is to enjoy and appreciate the message being conveyed. It is about listening for enjoyment and personal fulfillment, rather than providing advice or criticism to the speaker. 14. Critical listening is the most difficult type of listening. Answer: True Rationale: Critical listening involves analyzing and evaluating the content of a message to assess its validity, logic, and credibility. This type of listening requires a high level of cognitive engagement and can be more challenging than other types of listening, such as informational or empathetic listening. 15. The type of listening that is intended to provide emotional support for the speaker is called critical listening. Answer: False Rationale: The type of listening intended to provide emotional support for the speaker is empathetic listening. Empathetic listening involves listening with empathy and understanding, and it focuses on acknowledging and validating the speaker's feelings. 16. An example of listening for comprehension is listening to BBC news. Answer: True Rationale: Listening for comprehension involves understanding and retaining the information conveyed in a message. Listening to a news broadcast, such as BBC news, typically requires comprehension to understand the news stories and information being reported. 17. Note-taking is a barrier to effective listening. Answer: False Rationale: Note-taking can actually enhance listening by helping listeners to organize and retain information. It can also serve as a tool for active engagement with the material being presented. 18. Active listeners constantly employ RRA, which stands for: review, relate, and act. Answer: False Rationale: RRA is not a standard acronym for active listening techniques. Active listeners typically engage in behaviors such as paying attention, asking questions, and reflecting on the content of the message to enhance their understanding. 19. To fully comprehend the message, it is important that you always know what ideas you are being asked to accept. Answer: True Rationale: Understanding the key ideas and concepts being conveyed in a message is essential for comprehension. This includes being aware of the ideas that the speaker is presenting and being asked to accept or consider. 20. Anticipating what a speaker will say next is likely to distract you from what he/she is saying now. Answer: False Rationale: Anticipating what a speaker will say next can actually enhance listening by helping listeners to predict the direction of the conversation and stay engaged with the speaker's message. 21. It is possible to mislead or misguide your listeners without really lying to them. Answer: True Rationale: Misleading or guiding listeners can involve omitting certain information, using ambiguous language, or framing information in a way that leads listeners to a particular conclusion without explicitly lying. This can still result in a distortion of the truth or a misrepresentation of the facts. 22. Deliberately misguiding listeners is the goal of a good speaker. Answer: False Rationale: The goal of a good speaker is typically to inform, persuade, or entertain an audience in a clear and effective manner. Deliberately misleading listeners would go against the principles of ethical communication and is not a characteristic of effective public speaking. 23. Some advertisers, politicians, sales representatives, and even people you know will misguide listeners by making hasty generalizations. Answer: True Rationale: Hasty generalizations involve making broad, sweeping statements based on limited or insufficient evidence. This can be a tactic used by advertisers, politicians, sales representatives, and others to persuade or influence listeners, but it can also mislead or distort the truth. 24. An important question in assessing the speech is to ask about the audience's attitude toward the speaker. Answer: False Rationale: While the audience's attitude toward the speaker can be a factor in assessing a speech, it is not necessarily an important question in every context. Other factors, such as the clarity of the message, the evidence provided, and the speaker's delivery, may also be important considerations in speech assessment. 25. To improve speech evaluation skills, the listener should practice assessing the situation, the speaker, and the message. Answer: True Rationale: Improving speech evaluation skills involves assessing multiple aspects of the speech, including the context or situation in which it is delivered, the speaker's credibility and delivery style, and the content and structure of the message. Practicing evaluation can help listeners develop a more critical and analytical approach to assessing speeches. 26. Your speech classroom is NOT designed to teach you lifelong skills. Answer: False Rationale: Speech classrooms are often designed to teach students a range of skills that can be valuable throughout their lives, including public speaking skills, critical thinking skills, and effective communication skills. These skills can be applied in various personal, academic, and professional contexts beyond the classroom. 27. Overall, listening makes public speaking a reciprocal activity. Answer: True Rationale: Public speaking is a form of communication that involves both speaking and listening. Effective public speaking requires speakers to be aware of and responsive to their audience's reactions and feedback, making it a reciprocal activity where both speakers and listeners play active roles. 28. One way that you can develop your critical listening skills is by attending a town meeting. Answer: True Rationale: Attending a town meeting can provide opportunities to practice critical listening skills by listening to and evaluating the arguments, perspectives, and opinions presented by various speakers. Town meetings often involve discussions on important issues, which can help develop the ability to analyze and assess different points of view. 3.3 Short Answer 1. What is hearing? Answer: Hearing is the physiological process of receiving sound waves. 2. Explain how the barrier of drifting thoughts can cause ineffective listening. Answer: Drifting thoughts involve the idea that the brain can process information three to four times faster than a person can speak. As a result, the listener's thoughts tend to wander to other ideas during the speech, and the listener does not retain all of what is heard. 3. Define listening. Answer: Listening is the thinking process whereby people generate meaning from sounds. 4. What is the difference between internal and external perceptual fields? Answer: The internal perceptual field is when a listener is in the world of his/her own thoughts. While a speaker is speaking, the listener may be remembering what they need to get done after class, or thinking about what they will have for lunch. External perceptual field is when things in the physical environmental such as the banging of a radiator or the sound of a lawn mower outside interfere with listening. In essence, the internal perceptual field has to do with the inner thoughts of the individual listener and the external perceptual field has to do with physical distractions of the environment. 5. What are external perceptual fields? Give examples. Answer: External perceptual fields are those things in the physical environment that can distract a listener. Some examples of external perceptual fields are the buzz of the fan on an overhead machine, the sound of loud noises in the hallway, and students who are sitting near you and are talking while the instructor is lecturing. 6. Name the five barriers to good listening. Answer: (1) passive listening, (2) drifting thoughts, (3) physical distractions, (4) trigger words, and (5) self-fulfilling prophecies. 7. Give an example of how trigger words might interfere with effective listening. Answer: A trigger word such as "fair" might trigger mental reflection that prevents someone from listening. For example, a teacher being accused of not being fair by a student might focus on the accusation of fairness and not listen to the complaint the student is raising. 8. Researchers have identified five kinds of listening that reflect purposes; name them. Answer: (1) appreciative listening, (2) discriminative listening, (3) empathic or therapeutic listening, (4) listening for comprehension, and (5) critical listening. 9. Explain why critical listening is the most difficult kind of listening. Answer: Critical listening is the most difficult kind of listening because it requires you to both interpret and evaluate the message. 10. Name five tips for improving your note-taking skills. Answer: (1) Get organized. (2) Review your notes regularly. (3) Leave a two- to three-inch blank margin. (4) Write more. and (5) Develop a note-taking scheme. 11. List three of the six techniques for improving listening skills through better note taking. Answer: Possible techniques include: Getting organized with a note-taking system Reviewing notes regularly Leaving space in the margins of handwritten notes for filling in details later Writing more notes Developing a note-taking scheme (abbreviations, color-coding, etc.) Paying attention to nonverbal cues. 12. How might a speaker help the listener in using the RRA technique? Answer: The speaker might help the listener in using the RRA technique by using internal summaries in the speech to indicate what has just been said. The speaker should relate the topic to the listener to make the speech relevant. The speaker can also use connectives such as transitional phrases or signposts to indicate upcoming messages to the listener. 13. Explain how hasty generalizations made by the speaker can deliberately misguide the listener. Answer: Hasty generalizations can misguide the listener because the listener is making inferences about what is being said. Hasty generalizations are similar to stereotyping in that one person may have one experience with one thing or a person and is quick to make judgments about a situation or a group of people. 14. List three indications that a listener is being misguided by the speaker. Answer: The use of percentages rather than absolute numbers, characteristics of the sample, and hasty generalizations. 15. What are five of the nine questions that a listener can use to insure that he/she is listening critically? Answer: (1) How is the situation affecting my reception of the speech? (2) How is the physical environment affecting the speaker and my listening? (3) What do I know about the speaker? (4) How believable do I find the speaker? (5) Is the speaker adequately prepared? (6) What is the speaker's attitude toward the audience? (7) How credible are the ideas being presented? (8) Are the ideas well structured? and (9) Is sufficient evidence offered? 3.4 Essay Questions 1. Bill is having trouble at a meeting staying awake and paying attention to his administrator. The room is very hot. He didn't get much sleep last night because he was worrying about the fight he and Mary had, which he still can't get out of his mind. Besides, Mr. Smith is so dull and disorganized, it's hard to follow anything he has to say. Identify the barriers to effective listening that are most likely operating for Bill in this situation and explain how they are working. Answer: A successful answer will identify those barriers to effective listening identified in the text and show how they explain Bill's inability to pay attention and listen in this situation. Most of the barriers are operating in some way in this case. Passive listening is reflected in Bill's giving up because the administrator is disorganized and dull. Drifting thoughts are reflected in Bill's allowing internal thoughts to distract him from listening. Physical distractions are reflected in the temperature of the room, which increases the effects of his tiredness. Bill may be suffering from a self-fulfilling prophecy insofar as he expects the administrator to be dull. However, there is no indication that trigger words are operating. 2. Identify and explain the three essential aspects of speech content when you are listening for comprehension. Answer: The three essential aspects of speech content are: (1) ideas, (2) structure, and (3) supporting materials. The listener should look for the main ideas of the speech and how the speaker develops the main ideas. The structure of the speech is also important. The structure includes the arrangement of the main points and how the main points are emphasized. In some cases, the speaker may spend more time explaining one of the main points than other main points. The arrangement of the main points may also be presented from the level of importance of the ideas. In other words, the first main point may be the most important point to explain from the speaker's point of view. The perspective of the speaker is also discussed in the speech. The kinds of supporting materials that are used is the third essential aspect of the content of the speech. In this area the listener is critiquing the type of supporting materials that are used. The supporting materials may include facts, opinions, statistics, and examples. The speaker should use supporting materials that adequately clarify the main ideas. 3. Relate a commercial you have heard lately and explain how the three principles of listening for comprehension could be applied. Answer: Answers may vary. Students should apply the three questions offered in the text to an analysis of a commercial: (1) What are the main ideas of the speech? (2) How are the main ideas arranged? and (3) What kinds of materials support the main ideas? If examining, for example, a commercial for an automobile, what reasons are offered to buy the car: safety, luxury, price? Which of these ideas comes first? Is safety emphasized as with a Volvo, or perhaps price as with a Chevy Cavalier? What evidence is given to prove the claims made? Does the commercial compare the price and features of the Chevy with a Toyota? Are government safety figures used or a report from a leading consumer magazine? Fundamentally, how accurate is the information provided and does it seem reasonable? 4. Critically examine an infomercial using the questions raised by the text. Answer: Such an examination might discuss the impact of using celebrities such as Vanessa Williams for cosmetics or George Foreman for The George Foreman Grill. It could examine the demonstrations of the products such as Bow Flex Machine or Bally Total Fitness. Questions regarding the credibility of the source, the validity of the evidence provided, the overall organization of the message, and even the use of a "live" audience could be significant elements of the analysis. 5. Explain why listening is one of the skills that you will need to survive in your career, your community, and your social life. Answer: The answers may vary for each person. The concept is the listener must develop critical listening skills in order to better understand his/her employer's explanation of new equipment or new work procedures or rules. The person has to listen critically to political candidates to make an informed decision in selecting the best candidate. In addition, there may be an involvement in community affairs that requires critical listening. In order to better communicate on a social level or to develop interpersonal communication skills, a person has to engage in the communication transaction of being a listener. Test Bank for Principles of Public Speaking Kathleen M. German, Bruce E. Gronbeck, Douglas Ehninger, Alan H. Monroe 9780205857548, 9780205843893
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