Hearing vs.

Listening: Importance of Listening Skills for Speakers

While often used synonymously, hearing and listening are really two very different things.
Hearing is involuntary and uncontrollable. Listening, however, requires an attention.

Hearing vs. Listening

Let's face it; every public speaker had a moment where they asked themselves, 'Did the
audience hear me?' Well, the real question is, 'Are they listening?' and that is definitely a
matter of choice.
You see, hearing is an involuntary process that starts with noise, vibrations, the
movement of fluid in the ears and sound sent to the brain. Simple!
Where it gets a little complicated is when the noise actually arrives to its final destination:
the brain! This is where listening happens.
Listening is a voluntary act where we try to make sense out of the noise we hear. That
could be your partner telling you to rake the leaves or your boss droning on about the
latest plummeting sales figures. But the worst is when a speaker is on stage vying for
your attention. In any event, hearing and listening are very different because listening
requires conscious action.

Steps in the Listening Process

I know what you're thinking. It all seems to happen so fast. The speaker is on stage
rambling on about this or that. Well, you are correct. In fact, sound travels at 770 MPH.
That's about 33% quicker than a Boeing 747. Now, that's fast!
How does this really happen? Here's the process:

• Hearing - sound enters the eardrums and travels to the brain

• Attending - our brain receives the sound and decides what to pay attention to
• Understanding - take what is meaningful and apply it to the social context
• Remembering - storing the information for use at a later time

For the most part, we have the process down pat! Well, except for the remembering part.
When viewers were asked how much of the evening news, they recalled hearing, it was
only 17.2% and when given a few clues, it only rose to about 25%.
Now that we know how listening occurs, just how important is it for a public speaker to
listen? After all, isn't he the one doing all the talking? Well, think again, it is very important
and here is why.
Public Speakers Need to Be Good Listeners, Too
When a public speaker sets out to create the speech of a lifetime, he first must do some
snooping. The best way a public speaker can glean information about his potential
audience is by asking open-ended questions. These questions require an extended
answer rather than a simple yes or no.
So, when the public speaker is sitting down with his client, he should ask questions about
the audience, their education level, interests and other important details. It will help him
to create a more relevant presentation.
Next, the speaker should get to the gig early. It will give him time to socialize with the
audience. As he peruses the crowd, he may stumble upon something interesting.
Perhaps he overhears that the audience members just patented a translator that converts
a cat's meows into several languages. Well, this may be something he would want to
incorporate into his speech.
Listen to what's going on right before you begin your speech. During the introductions,
you may learn that one of the members adopted a cat or was elected to a new position.
This may be a perfect opportunity for the speaker to congratulate the party. It sends a
caring message.
Of course, you should be all ears during your speech. Now, that sounds difficult, but it is
really not. Listen for laughs, sneers or whispering. This will tell you whether you are
holding their attention. It might even tell you if a barrage of tomatoes are headed in your
direction! Yikes!
Listening after the speech is probably most important. If you hear cheers and raves from
the audience, you probably did a great job. The audience responded in a positive way,
and that is a good thing. If you hear the sounds of crickets, it may mean the audience
walked out early.
It may seem like the speaker is only hired to talk, but that's not necessarily true. Listening
before, during and after the speech will make for a much more informed speaker.

Lesson Summary
To button it up, hearing is an involuntary process that starts with noise, vibrations, the
movement of fluid in the ears and sound sent to the brain. Listening, on the other hand,
is a voluntary act where we try to make sense out of the noise we hear.
Believe it or not, there is a process, and it goes like this. It starts with hearing. That's when
sound enters the eardrums and travels to the brain.
Then, attending happens when our brain receives the sound and decides what to pay
attention to. We attempt to understand by taking what is meaningful and apply it to its
social context. Finally, remembering is storing the information for use at a later time.
Public speakers should always use their listening skills. They can do a few things to be
sure they are really connecting with their audience. First, ask open-ended
questions that require an extended answer rather than a simple yes or no.
He should also socialize with his attendees. This is a great opportunity to learn things
about them that can be incorporated into the speech at the last minute.
Although it seems like a challenge, listen during the speech for things like whispering or
cheers. It will tell the speaker whether he has the attention of his audience. In the end,
ask questions or accept comments and feedback. This will help for later speeches. Public
speakers benefit from listening before, during and after a speech.

Learning Outcomes
Review this lesson and read through its transcript in order to:

• Indicate the difference between listening and hearing

• Recall the steps involved in the hearing/listening process
• Point out ways in which a public speaker can 'listen' to his/her audience