Listening: Listening for Inference, Attitude, & Opinion (Advanced) C1 - Lesson 3: Critically Evaluating Speaker Credibility and Argumentation

C1 Critical Listening: Evaluating Speaker Credibility and Arguments CEFR Level C1 Lesson Goals In this lesson, you will develop the advanced skill of critical evaluation. You will learn to assess a speaker's credibility by analyzing their expertise and bias, and to evaluate their argumentation by identifying logical fallacies. Listening Beyond the Surface At an advanced level, listening involves more than just understanding words; it involves critically evaluating the speaker and their message. This means actively questioning the information you hear. 1. How to Evaluate Speaker Credibility Before you accept what someone says, ask yourself: "Why should I believe this person?" Listen for clues about their background: Expertise: Do they have relevant qualifications or experience? (e.g., "As a doctor...") Bias: Do they have a personal or financial reason to promote one side? (e.g., "As the CEO of the company...") Sources: Do they cite evidence and data, or rely sol…