• Unit 3: The Importance of Listening

    Every speech course includes a unit on listening, even though most people do not associate the subjects with each other. Yet, it is very important that you associate listening habits with public speaking skills and public speaking presentations. A well-known saying is that you should "walk a mile in another man's shoes" in order to understand that person. That also applies to speech audiences; you need to imagine what it would be like to be your own audience. This means assessing your personal listening habits as well as those of your anticipated audience. Unit 4 introduces audience analysis as one of the ways to proceed with that assessment, but in this unit, the focus is on the general traits possessed by all listeners and how you should plan your speech with those traits in mind.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • 3.1: Listening vs. Hearing

    • 3.2: Listening Styles

    • 3.3: Why Listening is Difficult

    • 3.4: Listening as a Process: Stages of Listening

    • 3.5: Listening Critically

    • 3.6: Unit 3 Exercises