1. Critical listening is really critical or logical thinking in
that you use reason to make judgments about what you
hear.
2.
3. LISTENING FOR APPROPRIATE TONE.
Fact and Opinion
A fact is something that can be verified as true or as something that has actually happened. An
opinion is something that cannot be proven. Speakers must support opinions with pertinent facts
before the opinions can be accepted as valid.
FACT: Mars is a planet in our solar system that is fourth in distance from the sun.
OPINION: Mars is a plant that we could live on if Earth became too crowded.
Denotation and Connotation
The denotation of a word is its literal or exact meaning. The connotation is its suggested or implied
meaning. Speakers may choose words with unfavorable connotations to resent someone or
something unfavorably.
NEUTRAL DENOTATION: That man acts in a childlike way.
UNFAVORABLE CONNOTATION: That man acts in a childish ways.
Euphemism
Euphemisms are words or phrases used in place of others that are considered unpleasant or
offensive. A speaker may use a euphemism to soften the meaning that a direct word would convey.
EUPHEMISM: Mr. Carlin passed on at the age of 84.
DIRECT WORD: Mr. Carlin died at the age of 84.
Self-Important Language
Self-important or inflated language consists of flowery or unnecessary long words or phrases. A
speaker may use it to try to impress listeners. Jargon, the specialized vocabulary of a profession or
other group, can also be a type of inflated language. Inflated language conceals rather than reveals
the ideas behind the words.
SELF-IMPORTANT LANGUAGE: Upon completion of the form, affix signature at the bottom.
DIRECT LANGUAGE: After you fill out the form, sign it at the bottom.
4. If the rules for logical reasoning are not
followed, the result is a logical fallacy.
Logical Fallacies
5. A hasty generalization is a statement that offers conclusions
based on a few examples without taking into account exceptions
or qualifying factors. They tend to sound highly reliable.
However, they are usually being used to exert influence for a
particular cause. A hasty generalization is a statement that
offers conclusions based on a few examples without taking into
account exceptions or qualifying factors. They tend to sound
highly reliable. However, they are usually being used to exert
influence for a particular cause.
A hasty generalization is a statement that offers conclusions
based on a few examples without taking into account exceptions
or qualifying factors. They tend to sound highly reliable.
However, they are usually being used to exert influence for a
particular cause.
6. EXAMPLE: Many teenagers have reading problems. Some
teenagers would rather watch television than read.
Television is the reason why teenagers have reading
problems.
7. Begging the question, also called circular reasoning, is a logical fallacy
that violates the rules of deductive reasoning. A speaker who “begs
the question may start with a definition or a general principle but
does not take any further steps to provide proof for the statements.
The validity of the conclusion is taken for granted.
EXAMPLE: A movie becomes a classic when it says something
new to each generation. This movie says something
to me and it came out thirty years ago, so it is a
classic.
8. A non sequitur is a logical fallacy
that violates the rules of inductive
reasoning. A non sequitur is a
conclusion that does not follow
logically from the preceding
evidence.
EXAMPLE: A man running for the
office of treasurer says you should vote
for him because his father is wealthy.
9. A testimonial is the use of a famous person to
endorse a product or a service so the general
public will believe in it. The person, however
famous, may not be an authority on the
particular subject at all.
EXAMPLE: A movie star who
appeared in western
endorses a brand of
jeans
10. The bandwagon technique is used by a
speaker to urge people to “jump on the
bandwagon” and be part of the group that
buys a product, supports a candidate, or
holds a point of view.
EXAMPLE: A soft drink commercial
urges you to drink their soda
to become part of the “now”
generation.
11. Card stacking is a technique in which the speaker
emphasizes only the positive points that support his or
her position. Any negative aspects or alternatives are not
mentioned.
EXAMPLE: A politician makes a speech to
outline his plan for increasing
the school budget but fails to
mention that taxes would be
raised.
12. A false comparison is one that compares unlike
objects or events in order to gain credibility as
evidence for a particular argument or cause.
EXAMPLE: A science writer explains
that just as machines need
oil so do humans need fat
in their diet.
13. A speaker uses an emotional appeal to persuade
listeners by arousing their feelings rather than their
reasoning abilities. Facts needed to make informed
decisions are often omitted.
EXAMPLE: A boy persuades his father to raise his allowance
so that he will have more money to save for the
father’s birthday present.
