LISTENING EFFECTIVELY
Listening to lectures is a concentrated activity. Try to anticipate
the instructor's comments and determine the structure of the
lecture. To help improve your listening, here are some positive
steps you can take:
Prepare to Listen:
Go prepared to class - if the syllabus lists a reading assignment
on the topic for the day, be sure you have completed the reading
prior to the lecture. Students sometimes consider lectures supplementary
to textbook study, but in reality , listening in class is really
a form of studying! Also, your attitude in attending class is
important. If you feel that a particular class is generally a
waste of time, you will be in no mood to listen. Decide before
class that the lecture period will be well spent; resolve to
make it a learning experience.
Watch the Instructor:
Don't take your eyes off the instructor - when you look away,
you invite visual distractions that will compete for your attention.
You need to listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Develop
an awareness of the instructor's mannerisms. The instructor's
gestures supplement their remarks. What the writer does with
punctuation, bold print, headlines and italics, the instructor
does with vocal inflection and bodily gesture. All instructors
communicate physically as well as orally. Watch as you listen.
Listen for Format:
Listen attentively for the topic, the main ideas, and details
of support. Ask yourself: is this the topic? the main point?
what details relate to this main idea? Listen for signal words
that introduce a particular organizational pattern for the lecture.
Look for visual cues and listen for auditory cues {what the instructor
puts on the board, and when his/her tone of voice changes).
Note Questions:
A questioning attitude facilitates learning. Listen well to questions
asked in class. When the instructor asks a question, pay close
attention -he/she is discussing something of importance and they
want you to understand and remember this -point. Also, notice
the questions asked by others in the class -they provide the
instructor with valuable feedback, and allow he/ she to further
clarify important issues. Often these are your questions too!
The instructor's responses to student comments may provide you
with feedback on your level of understanding of the topic.
Listen Creatively:
During the lecture, you need to be actively involved in the subject
matter. You should be evaluating and organizing the instructor's
words. If you sit passively, like a sponge, expecting to soak
up knowledge, you are only half listening. To listen totally,
you have to react -you must put your mind to work. Try to anticipate
the point to be made, in other words, think ahead and try to
see the materials from the instructor's point of view. Get you
mind running on a parallel track. Also, do not allow your attention
to wander -if you find yourself distracted or preoccupied by
other issues (often these relate to non-school situations), note
the problem quickly in your notes, and mentally return to active
participation in the class ASAP! Manage your distractions so
you don't hinder your education.
Your success in college will depend in large measure on how well
you listen in class. These suggestions can substantially improve
your ability in this vital area.
KEY POINTS:
- Be prepared for class;
- Be an active listener by anticipating the key points;
- Be an creative listener and try to connect the lecture content
with what you already know;
- Set yourself up for success: sit in the front of the class
and manage your distractions;
- Measure your understanding by being able to "picture" what
is being discussed;
- Ask questions about anything in the lecture or readings that
you don't understand;
Adapted from UM's New Student Program and Amarillo
College's TASSL/Access Center materials.
MEOC 96/sd
A wise man once said that listening is the hardest thing in the
world to do. Faulty listening leads to misunderstanding, and
we all know from experience the problems misunderstanding can
cause.
In industry, millions of dollars are lost annually as a result
of poor listening. It has become standard practice at most major
companies to "write it down. " And Xerox, a leading
corporation, has developed and now markets to other industries
its own listening improvement course.
In school, students fail to listen properly to directions and
after every exam we hear about those who lost credit by not following
these directions.
A popular parlor game a few years back involved the transfer of
a story from one person to the next. The fun came when the last
person in line recited his version, usually unrecognizable to
those who first passed it along.
LISTENING FAULTS - Causes of faulty listening are many and mixed.
For purposes of discussion we can classify them as follows:
1. Daydreaming
This is probably the most frequent listening fault because it
affects everyone. Frequently, a speaker will mention same person
or thing which triggers a memory in our minds and off we go.
When we return to reality and start listening again, we discover
that point three is being presented and that we have no recollection
of points one and two.
Opportunities for daydreaming are abundant because the speed of
talk is so much slower than the speed of thought. Thus, while
a speaker is talking at 125 words a minute, your mind is free
to race along .
There are ways to overcame the natural tendency to daydream, and
we will discuss than later on.
2. Closed-mindedness
This fault occurs more often outside the classroom than within,
and especially when we are arguing. We often refuse to listen
to an opposing view when our minds are made up .We feel that
we know all there is to know, so there's no use listening.
Actually, this is an intellectual fault rather than listening
problem. Anytime we fail to listen with an open mind, we do ourselves,
as well as the speaker, a disservice. If our point of view is
the correct one, opposing arguments will only serve to reinforce
and confirm beliefs. If, on the other hand, our position is wrong,
refusing to listen will not make our position right.
Closed-mindedness interferes with classroom learning, too. For
example, you may have grown up in a family whose adult members
were strongly pro-union or anti-union. As a result, when your
economics class discusses collective bargaining, your first tendency
may be to turn a deaf ear to facts which don't correspond with
your traditional beliefs. A fair appraisal of actual events would
probably lead to a more enlightened and more objective understanding
of the whole concept.
3. False Attention
This is a protective device everyone resorts to from time to time.
When we're not really interested in what someone has to say,
we pretend to listen. We nod our heads and make occasional meaningless
comments in order to give the impression that we are paying attention,
when actually, our minds are thousands of miles away.
The fake-listener sometimes has no choice; a boring person may
have his ear and he cannot get away. Perhaps he is at the table
or in a roan with relatives when a pressing matter comes to mind.
Conveniently, he can go through the motions of listening, even
make an occasional comment, while giving his real attention to
something of higher priority. The danger occurs when we allow
the occasional necessity to become a routine procedure: a technique
to adopt whenever something which we find to be not very interesting
comes our way. This will not do for school; don't let yourself
form the habit.
4. Intellectual Despair
Listening can be difficult at times. In college, you have to sit
through many lectures on subjects which are hard to understand.
Expect it; that's why you're going to college: to learn what
you don't know. Occasionally, you may feel the urge to throw
in the towel, to give up. You say to yourself: "no matter
how hard I try, I don't get it. I may as well face facts: I just
can't learn this stuff." With this kind of thinking it is
easy to stop trying.
Obviously, you'll never understand if you give up. The thing to
do is to listen more carefully than ever; ask questions when
practical; and, most important, discuss the material with a classmate.
Attack the problem as soon as It appears; try not to let weeks
90 by before seeking help. Catch up right away and you'll feel
less inclined to adopt an attitude of futility.
5. Memorizing
Some listeners try to memorize every word spoken by the lecturer.
These are likely to be students who are uptight and overanxious.
In their desire to listen well, they commit a listening fault
and come out remembering less.
You cannot remember everything a speaker says; it is impossible.
When you try, you miss the sense of the lecture and are worse
off than ever. A student who displays this fault does so because
he knows no other way. He has never been taught techniques for
effective listening.
6. Personality Listening
It is only natural for listeners to appraise and evaluate a speaker;
it is something we all do. Our impressions should not interfere
with listening, however. The content must be judged on its own
merit. For example, you might be tempted to tune out a speaker
because of his appearance. If an instructor is sloppily dressed
and careless about his appearance, you may conclude that what
he says is not worth listening to. Avoid the temptation; don't
let your personal feelings interfere. Even if you're convinced
that he is a fool, keep in mind that he will be awarding the
grades. Forget your feelings and listen to what he has to say.
This information was adapted from information
distributed by
TASSL/Access Center, Amarillo College, Amarillo, Texas
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