Isaac presents a persuasive speech in your public speaking class opposing a proposed increase in the

Question

university's student athletic fee to offset shortfalls within the athletic department.

Applying the six-step
listening process, explain how you, as a listener, process Isaac's message.
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

As a listener, the first thing is I would RECEIVE auditory stimuli. Hearing these sounds is
intended to grab my attention.

Next, I would SELECT different stimuli from all the stimuli competing for my attention. In public
speaking, I could focus on voice, another person on the speaker's physical appearance, someone else on
the speaker's eye contact, and so on.

Next, I would INTERPRET the message, thus I am attaching meaning to the various verbal and nonverbal
symbols in the speech.

Once interpretation has occurred, you try to UNDERSTAND the speaker. This is where I place Tom's
message within the context of my existing knowledge and beliefs on the subject. I am trying to find out
what Tom is trying to do, which helps me understand his message better.

The next step is to EVALUATE the message by judging both the reliability of the speaker and quality and
consistency of the message. Does Tom appear well-prepared, knowledgeable, confident, and sincere?

Finally, the last step in listening is RESOLVING, or deciding what to do next with the information
received. We could act on it now or later, reject it, or investigate it further.