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Listening Skills

 

HOW WELL DO YOU LISTEN?

Try to remember the last few times someone spoke to you.  Did you:

		Yes	No	Score
1.	Face the speaker?	_____	_____	_____
2.	Judge the value of the message by the speakers delivery?	_____	_____	_____
3.	Interrupt politely if something wasn't clear?	_____	_____	_____
4.	Interrupt at once if you disagreed?	_____	_____	_____
5.	Imagine how the speaker might be feeling?	_____	_____	_____
6.	Plan your response while the speaker was talking?	_____	_____	_____
7.	Pay attention to the speaker even though you'd lost interest?	_____	_____	_____
8.	Respond as soon as the speaker stopped talking?	_____	_____	_____
9.	Listen for ideas as well as facts?	_____	_____	_____
10.	Assume you already knew what the speaker would say?	_____	_____	_____
	TOTAL			_____

How did you score?

• Even-numbered questions: score 0 for each "yes," 1 for each "no."
• Odd-numbered questions:  score 1 for each "yes," 0 for each "no."

If your total was less than 10, you're not listening as well as you could? Read on!

SOURCE:  How to Improve Your Listening Skills.  South Deerfield, MA:  Channing L. Bete Co, Inc. 1987

 

TIPS FOR ACTIVE LISTENING

Here are some general guidelines that can help you improve your listening skills:

1. BE PREPARED - Before going to class, read your textbook assignments and review your notes from the previous class meeting to prepare yourself to get the most out of the lecture.

2. CONCENTRATE ON THE LECTURE - Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by your professor’s mannerisms, voice quality, or delivery technique.  Concentrate on the material, not the way it is conveyed.

3. GET INTERESTED! - This attitude rivets your attention and concentration and heightens your learning and remembering.  Getting interested also helps you ignore distractions:  noise or judging the lecturer’s delivery (external distractions) and your own reruns of last night's movie (internal distraction).

4. MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO LISTEN - It is easy to listen when a stimulating instructor is discussing topics that interest you.  When the teacher, the topic, or both seem dull, remotivate yourself to learn and earn a satisfactory grade.  Remind yourself that:

• you are in college to achieve your long-range goals

• learning to listen to dull topics or dull teachers is an excellent preparation for many of life’s dull moments

• you can still learn how to think regardless of the message or the speaker

• quite possibly, it is you who is dull, not the teacher or the topic

• although the material is difficult or the teacher dull, you are still responsible for learning

5. SELECT THE MAIN IDEAS - You are most interested in the major concepts and significant details of the lecture.  You can find these by listening for important clue words from the lecturer.  Refer to the list at the end of this booklet.

6. LISTEN WITH AN OPEN MIND - Maintain a questioning, but open-minded, attitude as you listen.  You need not accept everything that is said, but don’t let your views cause you to reject a new idea before it is fully developed.  Write down your questions and points of disagreement so you won’t forget them — and continue to listen to the lecture.

7. KEEP PHYSICALLY ALERT - Assume a comfortably alert posture in class. Minimize visual or hearing difficulties by sitting up front instead of at the back of the classroom where it is more difficult to pay close attention.

8. KEEP MENTALLY ALERT - Avoid doodling in class. Concentrate on the lecture, not on the windows, your watch, or the person sitting next to you.  Keep attentive in class by predicting likely test questions, comparing lecture and textbook content, entering into class discussion, etc.

9. TAKE NOTES AS A REMINDER OF WHAT WAS SAID - Immediately after the lecture, review the notes and make sense out of them.  Make certain that the main ideas are clear.

10. LISTEN AND LOOK - Teachers, consciously or unconsciously, emit a variety of nonverbal signals that convey meaning to their words.  Look for changes in loudness, pitch, and clarity of voice; posture, facial expression, hand movement, and movement from place to place in the room; eye movement; and pauses between remarks.

11. PHYSICALLY RESPOND TO THE SPEAKER - Communicate nonverbally by maintaining eye contact, nodding to show you understand, and being attentive.  Don’t pretend to be attentive when you’re not.  Teachers know that true attention will manifest itself in your participation in class and on the next exam.

12. ASK QUESTIONS - If something is not clear or if you need further explanation, ask questions of the instructor.  Don’t abruptly interrupt the instructor, but rather wait for a pause and raise your hand.  If you don’t get a chance to ask your questions during the lecture, ask them after class or at the beginning of the next class.

13. ASK FOR CLARIFICATION; RESTATE IMPORTANT POINTS - Make sure you understand the terms the other person is using.  Restate what they’ve said in your own words so you understand the points as the speaker intended.  Don’t assume you know what they mean.

14. BE A THINKING LISTENER, NOT A TAPE RECORDER -

• Stay alert and assume that an important point could be made anytime.

• Don’t try to take notes verbatim on every statement you hear, but don’t walk out of an hour's lecture with only a few paragraphs of notes.

• Use long pauses to review the main points, to keep the big picture in view.  For example, glance at the main headings in your notes or in the text.  Recall the instructor’s introductory remarks.  Skim your notes from the previous class.

• During long pauses, it sometimes helps to think ahead.  Anticipation can help ideas become meaningful; it takes advantage of your mind’s ability to think faster than your teacher speaks.

• When your personal beliefs are challenged, stay cool.

15. PRACTICE LISTENING - Ask permission to tape-record an instructor’s lecture.   Then analyze it in terms of the recommendations given in this booklet.  Compare what you hear to your notes and try to explain the discrepancies.

16. TO REMAIN AN ALERT LISTENER, get enough sleep, eat nutritiously, and exercise regularly.  You have heard this message before.  You’ll hear it again.  And it’s true!

SOURCES:

• Hettich, PJ  (1992).  Leaning Skills for College and Career.  Pacific Grove, CA:  Brooks/Cole.

• Brown, W.F., & Holtzman, WH  (1987).  A Guide to College Survival.  Iowa City, IA:  ACT.

 

LISTENING CLUE WORDS

In listening, there are certain words that give you hints or clues to the importance or nature of the material you are about to hear.  Paying attention to these words should increase your listening power.  These words are given in the list below.

ADDITIVE WORDS - tell the listener that more of the same is coming up, and that it is just as important as what has already been heard

EX:  also, besides, furthermore, moreover, and, further, in addition, too

EQUIVALENT WORDS - tell the listener another important element is about to be heard

EX: as well as, at the same time, similarly, equally important, likewise

AMPLIFICATION WORDS - give the listener a specific example

EX: for example (e.g.), specifically, as

ALTERNATIVE WORDS - tell the listener that there may be a choice, or that there is no choice

EX: either/or, neither/nor, other than, otherwise

REPETITIVE WORDS - say the fact again

EX: again, in other words, to repeat, that is (i.e.)

CAUSE AND EFFECT WORDS - explain the facts to the listener

EX: accordingly, because, consequently, for this reason, since, so, hence, then, thus, therefore

CONTRAST OR CHANGE WORDS - give the listener another view

EX: but, in spite of, notwithstanding, conversely, on the other hand, still, despite, instead of, though, however, rather than, yet, whereas, regardless, nevertheless, even though

QUALIFYING WORDS - give the listener the conditions he or she is working under

EX: if, providing, although, whenever, unless

EMPHASIZING WORDS - tell the listener that the information is agreed upon

EX: accepting the fact that, granted that, of course

ORDER WORDS - give the listener the sequence of the material

EX: finally, first, second, then, next, last

TIME WORDS - keep the material in order in terms of what was said and when

EX: afterwards, before, formerly, later, meanwhile, subsequently, ultimately, now, presently, previously

SUMMARIZING WORDS - pulls the material together

EX: for these reasons, in brief, in conclusion, to sum up

SOURCE: Chybion, K.  Boston University: Center for Academic Services & Minority Affairs, STRIVE Program.

 

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