important is listening versus hearing. Hearing is the “continuous, natural, and passive

process of receiving aural stimuli” (Grice 61). Listening is the “intermittent, learned, and

active process of giving attention to aural stimuli” (Grice 61). After a speaker’s speech

most people remember approximately only 50 percent of what they heard and only

remember approximately 25 percent of the presentation two days later (Grice 61). Expert

Robert Montgomery summarizes the plight of listening: “Listening is the most neglected

and the least understood of the communication arts. It has become the weakest link in

today’s communications systems. Poor listening is a result of bad habits that develop

because we haven’t been trained to listen.” (Grice 61).

You can improve your listening skills by following varying strategies. Maintain eye

contact with the speaker. Keeping eye contact keeps you focused and involved in the

lecture. Focus on content, no delivery. Don’t count the number of times a speaker clears

their throat or says um or uh. If you do this you aren’t f

the speaker that both you and they gained benefits from the speaking experience (Grice

that by receiving criticism from varying persons you can receive information on how

Always begin your critique with a positive statement. Public speaking is very

someone shuffling papers near you. Treat listening as a challenging mental task.

Some topics in this essay:
Speaking Page, Robert Montgomery, , grice 61, public speaking, eye contact, public speaking page, Public Speaking, aural stimuli” grice, maintain eye contact, eye contact speaker, constructive criticism, aural stimuli”, stimuli” grice, maintain eye, mind wander, critique positive, speaking page, stimuli” grice 61,