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Public speakers who focus solely on the mechanics of their presentation may demonstrate agenda-driven listening. This listening challenge applies primarily to a speaker giving a presentation who also has to accommodate questions and comments from audience members. For example, this speaker might ignore raised hands from the audience, or “listen” to questions while scanning his notes. Or he might provide monosyllabic and overly brief responses—revealing that he’s not really listening to his audience. Not surprisingly, this behavior can annoy audience members and damage the speaker’s credibility. This type of speaking is especially common with speakers who are anxious, as they may be focusing so strongly on their task that they fail to notice their audience.

To avoid this problem, make sure you are constantly analyzing your audience to confirm that they are keeping up with and understanding your speech (see chapter 5 for more on audience analysis). Happily, this may also help to quell any nerves, as you’ll be taking the focus off yourself and putting it on your audience.