Listener training for library staff: Receptive accommodation at work
Résumé
Intelligibility is not just something for speakers to focus on; listeners also need to make an effort. This article describes a workshop in listener training for library staff at a large public university in France. After explaining the theoretical background, we present the different steps involved in putting the workshop into practice. Participant comments from the group discussions highlight how listeners’ backgrounds have a real impact on the way they experience speech that is different to theirs. This workshop is a concrete example of how intelligibility can be usefully worked on with listeners as well as speakers, in order to promote a more inclusive workplace.