Evaluating a speaker’s evidence and reasoning is a vital part of active listening. In order to think critically about a speaker’s message, audience members should:
Evaluate a speaker’s evidence by asking if the sources seem credible and the facts cited seem accurate.
Question the speaker’s assumptions by looking for biases that might underlie the speaker’s position and seeing if the evidence supports or contradicts those assumptions.
Examine the speaker’s reasoning by checking for fallacies or other examples of faulty logic.
Consider alternative perspectives by trying to view the argument from all possible relevant points of view before assuming the speaker’s perspective is valid.