Section 14E - Face-to-Face: Speaking and Listening Flashcards
Spoken communication involves both speaking and ____.
Listening.
What should an effective speaker control to create interest and improve communication?
Volume, pitch, pauses and speech rate.
Vary your rate of speech to hold the audience’s attention and add emphasis. People can listen _____ times faster than the normal spoken rate of 120 words per minute.
Four to five times.
Typically, is speaking louder or softer a more effective way to emphasize a point?
Softer.
What should you remember when checking out a room to see how loudly you must talk?
That your voice will carry further when the room is empty instead of full.
What is the use of higher or lower notes in your voice called?
Pitch. (Variety avoid monotone.)
When speaking, the pause serves the same functions as ____ in writing.
Punctuation.
____ is the art of expressing words distinctly. ____ is the ability to speak words correctly.
Articulation. Pronunciation.
Why should you avoid mispronunciation?
Many people unfairly assume a mispronunciation reflects the speaker’s intelligence.
What is the key rule regarding the length of a verbal communication?
Keep it short and sweet. (Be prepared, know what you want to say, then say it, keeping your purpose and audience in mind.)
How much of our meaning may be communicated nonverbally through vocal cues, eye contact, body movement and gestures?
More than half.
What most enhances the delivery of spoken communication?
Effective eye contact. (It lets listeners know you’re interested in them, lets you receive nonverbal feedback from the audience and enhances your credibility.)
When speaking to an audience, it’s best to remain still behind a podium so you don’t distract from your message. (T/F)
False. (Feel free to move around. Effective body movement is free, purposeful and catches the eye of the listener.)
____ are the purposeful use of your hands, arms, shoulders and head to reinforce your words.
Gestures. (They should be natural and purposeful, not distracting.)
The time you have to prepare and the nature of the message can affect your choice of spoken delivery format. (T/F)
True.
List three common spoken delivery formats.
1) Impromptu; 2) prepared; and 3) manuscript.
Which spoken delivery format requires you to speak publicly without warning or on a few moment’s notice?
Impromptu. (It requires self-confidence, mastery of the subject and thinking on your feet.)
Which spoken delivery format is the highest level of verbal communication, if mastered?
Impromptu.
What does prepared speaking require?
A thorough outline - with careful planning, practicing and ample opportunity to prepare.
Do you memorize a script for prepared speaking?
No, the words at the time of delivery are spontaneous and natural.
Which spoken delivery format requires that every work spoken be absolutely perfect?
Manuscript.
When speaking, what are the disadvantages of a manuscript briefing?
It can lack spontaneity, eye contact and body movement.
Name the three types of speaking used in the Air Force.
Briefing, teaching lectures and formal speeches.
What are the three qualities of every good briefing?
Accuracy, brevity and clarity. (Military briefings are concise and factual.)
Which quality distinguishes the briefing from other types of speaking?
Brevity.
In which of these scenarios would you use a briefing - to inform listeners about a mission, to direct listeners to perform a procedure, or to advocate a solution and lead the audience to accept it?
Use a briefing for all of those scenarios.
You’ve just finished a briefing and are asked a question you cannot answer. What should you do?
Admit you don’t know the answer and offer to provide it later.
What is the instruction method used most often in the Air Force?
The teaching lecture.
Formal lectures are generally one-way, with no verbal participation by students. How do informal lectures differ?
They have smaller audiences and permit verbal interaction between the instructor and students.
What are the three basic purposes of a formal speech?
To inform, persuade or entertain.
The ____ speech is a narration about a specific topic, but it isn’t a sustained effort to teach.
Informative speech.
What type of formal speech moves an audience to believe in or take action on a topic?
Persuasive speech.
The ____ speech often relies on humor and vivid language.
Entertaining speech.
An orientation talk and presentation at commander’s call are examples of which type of formal speech?
Informative speech.
A speech at a Dining-Out is an example of which type of formal speech?
Entertaining speech.
Recruiting speeches and court-martial summations are examples of which type of formal speech?
Persuasive speech.
____ occurs when your ears pick up sound waves transmitted by a speaker or other source.
Hearing. (It doesn’t require consciously decoding information.)
____ makes sense out of what is transmitted to your ears by sound waves.
Listening.
What steps does active listening require?
Hearing, comprehending, evaluating and remembering the message.
Why is effective listening especially important in the Air Force?
Because any miscommunication is potentially catastrophic. (It also helps build trust and mutual respect and helps leaders make better decisions and create a stronger bond with their Airmen.)
Appropriate listening behaviors in one situation may be inappropriate in another. (T/F)
True.
What are the three types of listening?
Informative, critical ad empathetic.
What is the listeners’ primary concern in informative listening?
Understanding information exactly as it is transmitted.
List several ways to improve your informative listening skills.
1) Keep an open mind; 2) listen as if you had to teach it; 3) take notes (focus on the main points); 4) respond and ask appropriate questions (clarify and confirm); and 5) exploit the time gap between thinking and speaking speeds.
Critical listening is the sum of informative listening and what?
Critical thinking. (Actively analyze and evaluate the speaker’s message.)
In informative listening, listen as if you had to teach it. How does this differ from critical listening?
In critical listening, listen as though you had to grade it.
In informative listening, ask questions to clarify and confirm. What type of questions should you ask during critical listening?
Questions that probe and evaluate the intellectual content.
Even when you’re listening critically, you shouldn’t mentally argue with the speaker until the message is finished. (T/F)
True.
What type of listening do you use when communication is emotional or the relationship between speaker and listener is as important as the message?
Empathic listening.
Empathic listening is often the last step in the listening process. (T/F)
False. (It is often the first step, a prerequisite to informational or critical listening.)
Which type of listening is appropriate when evaluating a subordinate’s capabilities?
Critical listening. (It is also appropriate when seeking input on a decision or conducting research.)
Which type of listening is appropriate during mentoring and nonpunitive counseling sessions?
Empathic listening.(Also when communicating with family members.)
