Two rival candidates in the race for mayor of Springton are scheduled to speak on education policies in the city, a controversial topic. Each will be promoting his plan for education. Which type of listening will help listeners decide which plan is likely to be successful?

The goal of critical listening is to understand and evaluate the meaning of the speaker's message on several levels: the logic of the argument, the strength of the evidence, the validity of the conclusions, and the implications of the message. Critical listening will help listeners evaluate the speaker's argument for the plan and judge whether or not it is likely to be successful.