Tips to Improve Your Listening Ability
Communication consists of providing information and receiving information. Unfortunately, we are good at talking, but we often have trouble listening. This is true in ordinary conversation, as well as on the telephone. One sage said, “The only reason we listen is because we know we get to talk next.” Here are some tips that can change your listening behavior now.
Questions you may have include:
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What can you do when talking to a person?
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How do you improve in telephone conversations?
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What can you do if you have problems listening?
Talking to person
To improve your ability to listen, you can try a few simple techniques.
Listen for name
Repeat a person’s name when you first meet him or her. This will make you listen first and talk second. You want to have a mental set to become a better listener, and repeating a person’s name will help you do that.
Don’t hesitate to ask a person to repeat the name the second time, especially if the name is unusual. You are showing concern for the other person, which is an important aspect of listening. Use the person’s name in your response. "Is this your first time here, Suzanne?"
Ask a question instead of commenting
When you are anticipating making a comment on what a person has said, ask a question instead. This will keep you listening longer, and often the added information will help you make a higher quality contribution to the conversation.
Get information before you give information.
Telephone conversations
Here are some listening tips when talking on the phone.
Pause to prepare to listen
Don’t rush to answer the phone when it rings. Pause a moment so that you can be mentally ready to listen to the person calling you rather than thinking about what you were doing when the phone rang.
Taking these few extra seconds to think will make you a better listener from the beginning of the phone conversation.
As if you will report
In addition, listen as though you are going to report the message to someone else. This keeps you focused on the main reason or idea of the call.
Eliminate clutter
Eliminate clutter around the phone and your desk so you won’t easily be distracted when you are talking by phone or have a person talking to you in your office. Notes, pens, folders, clocks, and knickknacks can distract you, and you may not even be aware of the distraction until you realize you have no idea what the person just said.
Choose your time
When possible choose your listening time during the part of the day when you are mentally alert. If you are a morning person make your most important appointments, interviews, or phone calls during that time. If mornings are difficult for you, make afternoon calls. You lose listening acumen when you are tired physically or mentally.
Admit your problem
Finally, don’t be afraid to admit that you’re having a hard time listening and make necessary adjustments.
You might say, “I'm sorry I missed that last point. Please repeat that for me.” Or “I'm having a hard time concentrating; let me move to another chair.” Or “Could we pick up the conversation at a later time this afternoon? I need a break and some lunch.”
Any of these responses will tell people that you want to listen to their messages, and that what they have to say is important to you.
In conclusion
Some listening skills, such as suspending judgment, dealing with biases, and avoiding daydreaming, take time to develop because of the mental self-discipline they require. Following these tips, however, will improve your listening immediately.
Strategies for Successful English Language Learning
Motivation and attitude play a significant role in successful language learning. Listed here are some useful hints to encourage success in your new experiences. Combined with the expert assistance of knowledgeable instructors and reliable intensive English programs, attention to these ideas will help you gain focus in your studies so that you can learn English more effectively.
Be realistic about the length of time it takes to learn a language. Programs which promise overnight success are simply not being honest. Language learning is a cumulative process. You will experience bursts of accomplishment as well blocks and delays in progress. You will notice improvement at different speeds in each skill area. Many students progress more quickly in passive skill areas (reading and grammar analysis) than in active and complex skill areas (speaking, notetaking during a lecture). If you are beginning level student whose goal is proficiency, a typical program may include at least nine months of intensive English study. If your study program is short-term and your goals include improvement and review rather than proficiency, you may realise some progress in two or more weeks.
Be aware of your learning style. If you know that you learn more quickly when you listen to an English statement a few times before writing it, or if you know that seeing a picture or graphic representation of a word or expression helps you to remember the word, the develop study habits which use the most effective techniques for you. Excellent instructors who know that students must be involved in active learning will created active learning experiences to connect you with the language.
When you have determined your best learning style. Talk with your English instructor(s) about additional opportunities to practice English and to make progress. Instructors will design class activities and assignments to match the preferred learning styles of students.
Learn something about ‘language learning’. Remember that language is a complex system of meaningful sounds organised with a series of rules (grammar). Every student has studies enough pronunciation, grammar and sentence structure to understand this! It is also true that language is a form of behaviour involving the human need to communicate and to be understood. Language learning involves motivation, emotion, a sense of self, and a set of cultural beliefs. Language is much more than sound and words and grammar. As you learn a new language, you will produce a ‘series of successive approximations’, meaning that each attempt at a new language will bring closer to effective communication. Language learning requires that you make mistakes. Do not be afraid of a language or afraid of making errors. Develop an ability to relax; ‘playing’ with a new language is an important part of learning.
There is a significant research on the nature of language acquisition. It is important to know about the process you are involved in, so that you will understand the challenges of your study, your feelings and responses, and your progress.
Take responsibility for your own learning. A good instructor is half the equation for successful language learning. Take charge of your learning. Take charge of your learning; participate actively in your program. Look for opportunities to use your new language in any of many new environments. Be willing to make mistakes and learn from these mistakes. Focus on your goals, your study habits, and your willingness to ‘learn to learn’. Enjoy the process! Find inside yourself the reasons you want to learn, and determine ways to evaluate your success for yourself.
Your instructors and program administrators will appreciated that you have clear and realistic goals. They will respect your commitment to learning. They will respond to your efforts and encourage an open and positive student-instructor relationship. And they will applaud your progress. Your success is your reward!
