Critical Listening

Critical listening is a rational

process of evaluating arguments put
forward by others.

Critical listening means using

careful, systematic thinking and
reasoning to see whether a message
makes sense in light of factual
evidence.
 Subject and logic
Subject-matter
Critical listening may be based on the subject-
matter being talked about and assumes the
listener is sufficiently expert in the subject
matter to be able to form a valid opinion.
Logic
It may also be based on the logic and
structure of theargumentbeing proposed,
which assumes the listener has a sound grasp
of logic and argumentation.
 structure

Sensing
Sensing is simply hearing the words.
This is not automatic and requires
careful focus and attention that
excludes any distractions.
 Interpretation

Interpretation is the process of

understanding and assigning basic
meaning. It is based on the mental
modelsof the listener, many of which
may be based on commonly
accepted knowledge and paradigms.
 Evaluation
Evaluation is the process of judging the
argument, assessing 'facts' presented for real
accuracy and seeking structural integrity and
fallaciesin the argument presented.
Assignment
Finally, having judged the argument, the
critical listener may assign worth to it. An
argument may thus be judged as strong,
rational, truthful and worthy, or weak, illogical,
false and unworthy.
 Critical listening skills

Understand person and context

When seeking to do critical
listening, it can help to understand
the person and their context. Many
arguments do not stand alone and
understanding why the person is
saying what they are saying can help
in the understanding and
consequently evaluation of their
message.
 Discrimination
An important part of listening and
evaluation is in separating one thing
from another. This may take more
time and questions, but lets you
more accurately understand
differences and get to important
detail. Recognizing the difference
between facts and opinions.
 Knowledge of argumentation
An understanding of this field will help
you analyze and probe to assess the
effectiveness of any proposition.
Relate New Ideas to Old Ones
As both a speaker and a listener, one
of the most important things you can
do to understand a message is to relate
new ideas to previously held ideas
 Take Notes
Precise and complete notes will help
the listener to keep a written record..