Dorothy Hennings, Communication in Action, says that students need direction when learning to listen strategically. She recommends that we assign them things to listen for during speeches, presentations, videos, etc.

I realized that peer conferencing is a good time to do this. Many times, students are at a loss for ways to help their peers revise. Either they liked it all or they don’t know where to start. I thought if they were given specific things for which to listen not only would the conferences be more productive, the participants might actually learn something about listening. To help students remember their assigned listening roles, I decided to use the names of people famous for those very things. We wear sticky nametags and are encouraged to be the experts (without "physically" personifying our roles).

Different genres have different characteristics and different writers have different needs so I’d decide on which roles to assume based on those kinds of observations. See the list of recommendations for genres at the bottom. You might even have kids help to come up with the famous "experts in the field".

Here are a few I’ve used:

Note: the form icon () designates a link to a lesson associated with a famous person's role.

• Judge Judy —listens for evidence/proof in the form of stories and examples to find the person, place, or thing "GUILTY as charged" by the author.
• Daniel Webster —listens specifically to language: vivid verbs, strong nouns, language of the expert…
• Regis Philbin—paraphrases what the writer has said and asks questions to help him or her elaborate on the how(s) when needed.
• Christopher Columbus —listens for organization. He makes sure that the reader finds her way through the piece without getting lost: beginning, middle, ending, transitions…
• Thomas Edison—listens for "static" (side-issues, distractions, times when the writer gets off track…)
• Albert Einstein—listens for insight and reflection.
• Martha Stewart—listens to be sure that the setting(s) is just perfect for the purpose. Notes the way the writer embeds details about the setting in a way that shows where the event(s) take place without telling. (She also notes if the setting details are irrelevant to the purpose.)
• Oprah Winfrey—listens for sensory detail and tries to recognize the feeling (purpose) and tries to feel the way the writer wants his audience to feel. (She also notes if the sensory details are distractions/side issues.)
• Stephen Speilberg—pays close attention to the action in the story. Makes sure that slow motion parts are there to help the audience experience the most important part(s) event(s).
• Santa Claus—hears what characters say (dialogue) and knows what characters think (thoughtshots).
• Heloise—listens for hints and warnings to help the audience be successful.
• Dear Abby—looks for identified and solved problems.
• Elvis—listens for evidence of voice.
• Fran Drescher —listens for appropriate tone for the purpose: no whining, no condescension, no anger…
• David Letterman —summarizes what the writer has written and asks questions about what he does not understand.

Suggestions for specific genres/roles:

• Memoir—Judge Judy, Christopher Columbus, Thomas Edison, Regis Philbin, Albert Einstein
• Personal Narratives, Plays, and Short Stories—Martha Stewart, Santa Claus, Christopher Columbus, Stephen Speilberg, Daniel Webster , Oprah Winfrey
• Poetry—Daniel Webster , Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Speilberg, Christopher Columbus, Albert Einstein
• How to’s, Feature Articles, and Brochures—Daniel Webster , Regis Philbin, Christopher Columbus, Heloise
• Persuasive Letters—Christopher Columbus, Dear Abby, Fran Drescher , Elvis, Daniel Webster