Come ready to listen. Be sure you are rested, not hungry, alert, and motivated to listen. Prepare for listening by asking yourself these questions: What is the topic likely to be? What do you already know about the topic? What are you likely to be expected to learn? Who is the speaker and what do you know about this speaker’s style, expectations, organization, etc. What about the environment? Do you need to find a way to minimize distractions or make the environment more conducive to listening? (And make sure you aren’t the one creating the distractions.) During listening Listen to understand what the speaker is saying—not to refute it or question it. If you are confused and if it is appropriate, ask the speaker for clarification before you are too far lost. Look for the speaker’s organizational pattern. Is the information being given in chronological order, from most to least important, or some other pattern? Look for nonverbal signals, such as large gestures, facial expressions, or significant changes in pitch, tone, or loudness of voice that are used t emphasize important points. Think about what you already know about the topic and look for ways to attach the new information to the old. Create visual images of the information. We remember more of what we can visualize than of what we hear. Be aware of when you are drifting away, and ask yourself questions to help you refocus your attention. Take notes as you listen. If you hand write your notes, you will remember more than if you take notes on your computer or other electronic device. (You might also want to work on developing good note-taking skills before you listen to learn.) After listening
Come ready to listen. Be sure you are rested, not hungry, alert, and motivated to listen. Prepare for listening by asking yourself these questions: What is the topic likely to be? What do you already know about the topic? What are you likely to be expected to learn? Who is the speaker and what do you know about this speaker’s style, expectations, organization, etc. What about the environment? Do you need to find a way to minimize distractions or make the environment more conducive to listening? (And make sure you aren’t the one creating the distractions.) During listening Listen to understand what the speaker is saying—not to refute it or question it. If you are confused and if it is appropriate, ask the speaker for clarification before you are too far lost. Look for the speaker’s organizational pattern. Is the information being given in chronological order, from most to least important, or some other pattern? Look for nonverbal signals, such as large gestures, facial expressions, or significant changes in pitch, tone, or loudness of voice that are used t emphasize important points. Think about what you already know about the topic and look for ways to attach the new information to the old. Create visual images of the information. We remember more of what we can visualize than of what we hear. Be aware of when you are drifting away, and ask yourself questions to help you refocus your attention. Take notes as you listen. If you hand write your notes, you will remember more than if you take notes on your computer or other electronic device. (You might also want to work on developing good note-taking skills before you listen to learn.) After listening
Guidelines-for-Listening-to-Learn-1.docx