How to Speak How to Listen [Hardcover]

Mortimer J. Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1983

No Description Available

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

''[Adler] offers us both a fascinating theoretical analysis of oral communication and practical tips derived from his long years of experience. This book will be appreciated by anyone who ever has to get up before an audience and speak.'' --Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Mortimer J. Adler is Chairman of the Board of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Director of the Institute for Philosophical Research, and Honorary Trustee of the Aspen Institute.  He has authored fifty books.  He lives in Chicago. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1ST edition (April 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025005707
• ISBN-13: 978-0025005709
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mortimer Jerome Adler (December 28, 1902 - June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher, educator, and popular author. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He lived for the longest stretches in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Mateo. He worked for Columbia University, the University of Chicago, Encyclopædia Britannica, and Adler's own Institute for Philosophical Research. Adler was married twice and had four children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

156 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fabulous Teacher, June 17, 2000

By 

Edward Jenkins (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Speak How to Listen (Paperback)

I was hoping that this would be the only book I would need as a guide to developing my knowledge and skill as a public speaker. Rather, the book is about the oral communication process in all contexts. Thus delivering prepared speeches, in particular the lecture, was just one element of it. There is considerable emphasis on the listening component--rightfully so, given that Adler argues that listening well is the component of verbal communication that is the most difficult to learn and teach, and hence the most lacking. The book is a companion to Adler's "How to Read a Book", and in fact there are numerous references to it. Although the book turned out to be something different than I had hoped, I nevertheless found it beneficial. It is packed with helpful ideas and guidelines on speaking and listening in various contexts. I also enjoyed reading the book because it helped me to improve my vocabulary, which is one of the side benefits of reading any book by Adler. He is truly a fine teacher.

A few of the key points include: Silent listening vs. active listening, Guidelines for note-taking, Several do's and don'ts of effective conversation, and Instructive speech vs. persuasive speech

111 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first 90 pages are worth their weight in gold!, November 25, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Speak How to Listen (Paperback)

This is the best book, bar none, that I have ever seen on this subject. Adler takes some of the classical Greek writers ideas about persuasive speaking and "updates" them, makes them more understandable, and provides concrete illustrations of how it is done. He helps you to better grasp the process of outlining, and provides an example of a speech he had given that employs the "methodology" of the text. Very readable, very insightful

60 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Long on commentary, July 28, 2002

By 

Shannon Gaw (Roswell, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Speak How to Listen (Paperback)

Adler is obviously a very learned man and a very successful teacher. I found his argument that listening and speaking were critical skills left ignored by most educational institutions to be very well structured, and, as confirmed by my own experiences, very accurate.

That said, I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book and found it a long treatise on oral communications in society rather than a practical book on self-improvement.

I did find parts of it valuable, but the aggregate of these parts were only a fraction of the 7+ running hours. I probably would have been more pleased with the paper book version that I could skim, pick and choose.