60. Reading Skills Comprehension: Effective speaking

Effective speaking

Read the following passage carefully:                                                                                   

Effective speaking depends on effective listening. It takes energy to concentrate on hearing and concentrate on understanding what has been heard.

Incompetent listeners fail in a number of ways. Their attention drifts from what the speaker is saying. And finally, they react. They let personal feelings about the speaker or the subject override the significance of the message which is being sent.

What can a listener do to be more effective? The first key to effective listening is the art of concentration. If a listener positively wishes to concentrate on receiving a message, his chances of success are high. It may need determination. Some speakers are difficult to follow, either because of voice problems or because of the form in which they send a message. There is then the particular need for determination of a listener to concentrate on what is being said.

Concentration is helped by alertness. Mental alertness is helped by physical alertness. It is not simply physical fitness but also positioning of the body, the limbs and the head. Some people also find it helpful to their concentration if they hold the head slightly to one side. One useful way for achieving this is intensive note-taking, by trying to capture the critical headings and sub-headings the speaker is referring to.

Note-taking has been recommended as an aid to the listener. It also helps the speaker. It gives him confidence when he sees that listeners are sufficiently interested to take notes; the patterns of eye-contact when the note-taker looks up can be very positive, and the speaker’s timing is aided – he can see when a note-taker is writing hard and can then make effective use of pauses.

 On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions briefly:

 (a) What is one of the hurdles that come in the way of effective listening?

(b) Why is it difficult to understand what some speakers say?

(c) What should we do in order to concentrate?

(d) What can enhance our concentration?

(e) Find a word in the passage which is similar in meaning to ‘useless’.

 

ANSWERS-

(a) Judging the speaker or the subject while a person is speaking is one of the hurdles that come in the way of effective listening.

(b) It is difficult to understand what some speakers say because the tone of their voice is faulty.

(c) In order to concentrate, we should be physically and mentally alert.

(d) Note taking can enhance our concentration.

(e) Incompetent

Download the above passage in printable worksheet PDF

More Comprehension Passages:-

Passage-111 Ancient Time (300 Words Subjective Solved)

Passage-112 Thomas Alva Edison (300 Words Subjective Solved)

This passage is Thomas Alva Edison biography in English including Thomas Alva Edison story. It tells Thomas Alva Edison inventions.

Passage-113 Rice (300 Words Subjective Solved)

Passage-114 Maria Montessori (250 Words Objective Unsolved)

This passage is all about Maria Montessori biography which describes Maria Montessori facts including Maria Montessori facts. It clearly states Maria Montessori theory.

Passage-115 Bookless (300 Words Objective Unsolved)

Passage-116 New Therapy Hilts Appetite in the Mind (300 Words Objective Unsolved)

Passage-117 Role of the Computers in Marketing (300 Words Objective Solved)

Passage-118 Our Forefathers (300 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Passage-119 Milk (300 Words Subjective Solved)

Passage-120 Environmental Crisis (300 Words Subjective/Objective Solved)

Need our help or have some question