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Why I Am An Effective Speaker

Decent Essays

Question #3
According to Beebe et al., “Americans spend up to 90 percent of a typical day communicating with people, and they spend 45 percent of that time listening to others” (2001, p.114). The first skill people learn early on in life is how to listen. It starts from the moment of responding to a mother’s voice while in the womb. The authors state “effective speakers, however are those who can relate to their listeners; good speakers know how to establish a relationship with the audience by listening to audience members one on one before a talk or lecture” (p.115). It is important to become a good listener because listening plays a key role in successful communication. In order to become an effective speaker, you need to become an …show more content…

They need to put their own thoughts aside, be there mentally not just physically, make a conscious mindful effort to listen, take adequate time to listen, don’t rush the speaker, be patient, and lastly be open minded (Beebe et al., 2001). It is important to stop and think about all the distractions that prevent you from listening. The biggest distraction is your mouth. The authors state “you have been given two ears and one mouth” (Beebe et al., 2001, p. 126). Listeners need to shut one and use two in order to listen more efficiently. The book references a key solution to helping listeners stop with the distractions and listen to the speaker. They suggest that listeners stop their own thoughts and put themselves in the speaker’s shoes. Ask yourself this question “If I were the speaker, what should I be thinking right now?” To be aware of your own thoughts and actions calls for more efficient listening.
Step two: listen with your eyes. This means as a listener your non-verbal are appropriate and focused on the speaker. People often do not realize that they are communicating even without speaking. As Beebe et al., refers “a person’s facial expression, presence or lack of eye contact, posture, and use of gestures speaks volumes even when no word is uttered” (2001, p. 127). For example, if you as a listener are sitting slumped in your seat and have your arms crossed you may be communicating to the speaker that you do not care about

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