Learning to Listen

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					Learning to Listen
One of the most important skills that any college student can develop is the skill of listening with
purpose to others. Not only will this skill of being able to listen to others help these students as they go
forward into their professions of nursing, business, or other industry, it will likewise play a critical role in
how well they perform while studying to earn their nursing degree or business certification.

                                                                       While in school especially, those
                                                                       seeking their nursing degrees or
                                                                       other college level education will be
                                                                       taught mostly through seminar and
                                                                       lecture oriented courses wherein a
                                                                       college professor, usually a doctorate
                                                                       holder themselves, will instruct pupils
                                                                       according to the content of the
                                                                       course. This style of education is one
                                                                       of the best ways for experienced
                                                                       educators to teach others the skills
                                                                       and necessities of the profession or
                                                                       discipline that they themselves have

But, this form of lecture based education can also be one of the more difficult forms of education for a
student to learn by, if they have trouble listening. That is way it is so vitally important for individuals
who are enrolled in college level courses to learn the intricate skill of listening.

Focus on the Speaker
For those who are desirous to learn how they can further develop their listening skills so that they can
begin to learn even more from their lecture classes, consider the following steps in achieving that goal.
The first step for a person who desires to develop listening skills is to learn how to focus on the speaker.

Often times, there will be numerous
distractions that can hinder the
efforts of the listener. Clearing
these distractions from one’s mind
can be difficult, but with practice, a
person can learn how to develop
the focus necessary to push
distractions form their minds and
begin to listen effectively to the
In the initial phases of mastering how to clear the mind from other distractions, a person may wish to
consider changing their environment in order to improve their chances of listening success. Moving
away from the door, for example, which can open and close repeatedly during a lecturer causing a
distraction each time, can help to increase the effectiveness of the listening environment.

                                                           Listen and Think Analytically
                                                           After a person has learned how to focus on the
                                                           speaker by eliminating both external and
                                                           internal distractions, they can then turn their
                                                           listening skills to develop analytical listening, or
                                                           thinking about what is being said as it is being
                                                           said. Listening to a speaker while thinking on
                                                           the material they are speaking about can help
                                                           a student focus of what is being taught and
                                                           how it ties into what has previously been
                                                           taught or previously knowledge the student

Clearing the distractions and learning to listen while thinking analytically are just two steps that a person
can take to greatly increase their ability to listen while in class. Other steps to reach greater listening
success include such things as listening for patterns in the speaker’s lectures and anticipate what will be
said, taking notes while listening to help improve listening skills, and striving to pull out the main
concepts of the teacher’s lecture while listening.

Photo Credit: B Rosen, Florian SEROUSSI, & Orange_Beard via PhotoPin cc

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Description: Listening is a key skill for any college student. Learn how to improve your skills with these few tips.