Speech

Communication
ENGL300

(2019-2020)
Listening
and
Critical
Thinking
Skills
A. Improving Listening
and Critical Thinking
Skills

* Effective listening
requires the ability to
listen critically.
Evaluate
Listen
Examine
 1.

Evaluate the speaker’s use of

examples, opinions, and
statistics as evidence.
 2.

Listen critically to separate facts,

which can be proven, from
inferences, which are conclusions
based on partial or unobserved
evidence.
As a speaker, when speaking to
an audience that may be hostile
to or critical of your message,
take care to use credible
arguments and evidence rather
than rely on emotional appeals.
 B. Analyzing and
Evaluating Speeches

* Criteria to effectively
evaluate speeches
* An effective speech should
be understood by the
audience and should
achieve the intended goal.

* A good speech is also

ethical.
When offering feedback,be:

• Descriptive,
• Specific,
• Positive,
• Constructive,
• Sensitive
• and
• Realistic.
 A. Be Descriptive

• In a neutral way, describe what you

saw the speaker doing.
• Act as a mirror for the speaker to help
him or her become aware of gestures
and other nonverbal signals of which
he or she may not be aware.
• Avoid describing only a list of your likes
and dislikes
• Describe what you observe
 B. Be Specific

• When you describe what you see a

speaker is doing, make sure your
descriptions are precise enough to
give the speaker a clear image of
your perceptions.
Effective:
Dawn, your use of color on your
PowerPoint slide helped keep
my attention.

Less Effective:
I liked your visuals.
 C. Be Positive

• Begin and end your feedback with

positive comments.
• Beginning with a negative comment
puts the speaker on the defensive and
creates so much internal noise that he/
she stops listening.
• Starting and ending with positive
feedback engenders less defensiveness.
• The speaker will understand that you are
not an enemy who is trying to shoot
holes in his or her performance.
D. Be Constructive

Give the speaker

suggestions or
alternatives for
improvement.
 E. Be Sensitive:

“Own” your feedback by using I-statements

rather than you-statements.
An I-statement is a way of phrasing your
feedback so that it is clear that your
comments reflect your personal view.

• “You didn’t summarize very well in your

conclusion” is an example of a you-
statement.
• “I wasn’t sure I understood well the key
ideas you mentioned in the conclusion” is
an I-statement example.
 F. Be Realistic

Provide usable information.

Offer feedback about aspects
of the presentation that the
speaker can improve rather
than about those things he or
she cannot control.
• Feedback you give to a speaker
should provide information and
suggestions the speaker can use.
• Use feedback to learn your own
speaking strengths, evaluate the
effectiveness of specific
speeches, and identify areas for
improvement.
Thank you
Reference:

Beebe, S.A. & Beebe,

S.J.(2014). Public Speaking: An
Audience-Centered
Approach. Pearson:NY.