{"id":483,"date":"2015-02-18T18:04:36","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T18:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/publicspeaking1xmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=483"},"modified":"2019-03-06T13:02:05","modified_gmt":"2019-03-06T13:02:05","slug":"chapter-3-ethical-listening","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/ivytechcomm101-publicspeaking-statewide\/chapter\/chapter-3-ethical-listening\/","title":{"raw":"Ethics in Public Speaking: Ethical Listening","rendered":"Ethics in Public Speaking: Ethical Listening"},"content":{"raw":"Just as you hope others are attentive to your speech, it is important to know how to listen ethically\u2014in effort to show respect to other speakers.\r\n\r\nJordan stood to give his <\/em>presentation to the class. He knew he <\/em>was knowledgeable about his chosen <\/em>topic, the Chicago Bears football <\/em>team, and had practiced for days, but <\/em>public speaking always gave him anxiety. He asked for a show of <\/em>hands during his attention getter, and <\/em>only a few people acknowledged him.<\/em>Jordan\u2019s anxiety worsened as he <\/em>continued his speech. He noticed that <\/em>many of his classmates were texting\u00a0<\/em>on their phones. Two girls on the <\/em>right side were passing a note back <\/em>and forth. When Jordan received his\u00a0<\/em>peer critique forms, most of his <\/em>classmates simply said, \u201cGood job\u201d <\/em>without giving any explanation. One <\/em>of his classmates wrote, \u201cBears <\/em>SUCK!\u201d<\/em>\r\n\r\nAs we can see from the example above, communicating is not a one-way street. Jordan\u2019s peers were not being ethical listeners. All individuals involved in the communication process have ethical responsibilities. An ethical communicator tries to \u201cunderstand and respect other communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages.\u201d[footnote]National Communication Association. (1999). NCA credo for ethical communication. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.natcom.org\/uploadedFiles\/About_NCA\/Leadership_and_Governance\/Public_Policy_Platform\/PDF-PolicyPlatformNCA_Credo_for_Ethical_Communication.pdf<\/a>[\/footnote] As you will learn in Chapter 4, listening is an important part of the public speaking process. Thus, this chapter will also outline the ethics of ethical listening. This section explains how to improve your listening skills and how to provide ethical feedback. Hearing happens physiologically, but listening is an art. The importance of ethical listening will be discussed first.\r\n

Develop Ethical Listening Skills<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nThe act of hearing is what our body does physically; our ear takes in sound waves. However, when we interpret (or make sense of) those sound waves, that\u2019s called listening<\/strong>. Think about the last time you gave a speech. How did the audience members act? Do you remember the people that seemed most attentive? Those audience members were displaying traits of ethical listening. An ethical listener<\/strong> is one who actively interprets shared material and analyzes the content and speaker\u2019s effectiveness. Good listeners try to display respect for the speaker. Communicating respect for the speaker occurs when the listener: a) prepares to listen and b) listens with his or her whole body.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_550\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"289\"]\"Four<\/a> \"Bored Students\"<\/a> by cybrarian77. CC-BY-NC<\/a>.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nOne way you can prepare yourself to listen is to get rid of distractions.[footnote]Sellnow, D. D. (2009). Confident public speaking: COM 181 at University of Kentucky. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. [\/footnote] If you\u2019ve selected a seat near the radiator and find it hard to hear over the noise, you may want to move before the speaker begins. If you had a fight with your friend before work that morning, you may want to take a moment to collect your thoughts and put the argument out of your mind\u2014so that you can prevent internal distraction during the staff meeting presentation. As a professional, you are aware of the types of things and behaviors that distract you from the speaker; it is your obligation to manage these distractions before the speaker begins.\r\n\r\nIn order to ethically listen, it\u2019s also imperative to listen with more than just your ears\u2014your critical mind should also be at work. According to Sellnow,[footnote]Sellnow 2009[\/footnote] two other things you can do to prepare are to avoid prejudging the speaker and refrain from jumping to conclusions while the speaker is talking. Effective listening can only occur when we\u2019re actually attending to the message. Conversely, listening is interrupted when we\u2019re pre-judging the speaker, stereotyping the speaker, or making mental counterarguments to the speaker\u2019s claims. You have the right to disagree with a speaker\u2019s content, but wait until the speaker is finished and has presented his or her whole argument to draw such a conclusion.\r\n\r\nEthical listening doesn\u2019t just take place inside the body. In order to show your attentiveness, it is necessary to consider how your body is listening. A listening posture enhances your ability to receive information and make sense of a message.[footnote]Jaffe, C. (2010). Public speaking: Concepts and skills for a diverse society<\/em> (6th Ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. [\/footnote] An attentive listening posture includes sitting up and remaining alert, keeping eye contact with the speaker and his or her visual aid, removing distractions from your area, and taking notes when necessary. Also, if you\u2019re enjoying a particular speaker, it\u2019s helpful to provide positive nonverbal cues like head-nodding, occasional smiling, and eye-contact. These practices can aid you in successful, ethical listening. However, know that listening is sometimes only the first step in this process\u2014many times listeners are asked to provide feedback.\r\n\r\nConstructive criticism is\u00a0<\/em>about finding something good\u00a0<\/em>and positive to soften the\u00a0<\/em>blow to the real critique of\u00a0<\/em>what really went on.\u00a0<\/em>~ Paula Abdul<\/em>\r\n

Provide Ethical Feedback<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nEthical speakers and listeners are able to provide quality feedback to others. Ethical feedback<\/strong> is a descriptive and explanatory response to the speaker. Brownell explains that a response to a speaker should demonstrate that you have listened and considered the content and delivery of the message.[footnote]Brownell, J. (2006). Listening: Attitudes, principles and skills<\/em> (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon[\/footnote] Responses should respect the position of the speaker while being honest about your attitudes, values, and beliefs. Praising the speaker\u2019s message or delivery can help boost his or her confidence and encourage good speaking behaviors. However, ethical feedback does not always have to be positive in nature. Constructive criticism can point out flaws of the speaker while also making suggestions. Constructive criticism acknowledges that a speaker is not perfect and can improve upon the content or delivery of the message. In fact, constructive criticism is helpful in perfecting a speaker\u2019s content or speaking style. Ethical feedback always explains the listener\u2019s opinion in detail. Figure 3.3 provides examples of unethical and ethical feedback.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Figure 3.3: Unethical and Ethical Feedback<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
Unethical Feedback<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\r\n
    \r\n \t
  • I really enjoyed your speech.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • Your speech lacks supportive information.<\/li>\r\n \t
  • You are the worst public speaker ever.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Ethical Feedback<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\r\n