Instruction
In Chapter 6 of O’Hair, Wiemann, Mullin, and Teven, you were introduced to a number of listening strategies to improve your performance as an effective listener. For this assignment, you will be using critical listening in order to evaluate a public figure’s communication. You will employ listening skills to analyze a public figure’s public communications through media appearances, online communication, and/or press releases. For this assignment, you will need to select a public figure such as a politician, a celebrity, a sports personality, or someone in the public eye in order to evaluate their communication using concepts the reference guides/notes provided After selecting your public figure, review three to five communications from that individual. At least two of these communications must be audio or video communications such as speeches or interviews of no less than five minutes so you may practice critical listening. The other communications may be written or electronic, such as op-ed pieces written by the public figure, social media postings by the public figure, press releases from the public figure, or similar communications.
When you have reviewed three to five communications, write an essay of 5-7 pages in which you respond to the following:
Background. Identify the public figure and explain why you chose him or her. Briefly summarize (no more than one paragraph) the specific communications you reviewed, identifying whether each was audio, video, or written. Identify whom the speaker was trying to reach with each communication.
Verbal Communication. Did the public figure use high language or low language? Were all of the communications similar or did the speaker engage in code-switching or communication accommodation? How would you evaluate the speaker’s use of language, either spoken or written? Was it effective and engaging? Was there anything that stood out in terms of how the speaker employed verbal communication?
Nonverbal Communication. Examine how effectively the public figure engaged his or her audience and how the public figure used nonverbal communication. Identify at least three nonverbal codes that the speaker used. How would you evaluate the speaker’s use of nonverbal communication? How did it support the verbal communication? Were any of the nonverbal codes distracting?
Evaluation and Improvement. If you were a public relations professional representing the public figure, would you say that the communications were effective in interesting the audience and forging a connection with them? As a PR representative, make at least two recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the public figure’s verbal and/or nonverbal communication using concepts from Chapters 1-6 and the content guides.
Reflection. Finally, reflect on your own listening. Did you find it challenging to listen critically, or did it come easily? Identify the type of listening you use most and the types of nonlistening that you engage in most frequently. How would you evaluate your own listening, and where might you improve? Which types of listening do you need to improve upon? How might you overcome specific types of nonlistening you use?