10 keys to effective listening
These keys are a positive guideline to better listening. In fact, they're at the
heart of developing better listening habits that could last a lifetime.
| |
10 Keys to Effective Listening |
The Bad Listener |
The Good Listener |
| 1. |
Find areas of interest |
Tunes out dry subjects |
Opportunitizes; asks "what's in it
for me?" |
| 2. |
Judge content, not delivery |
Tunes out if delivery is poor |
Judges content,
skips over delivery errors |
| 3. |
Hold your fire |
Tends to enter into argument |
Doesn't judge
until comprehension complete |
| 4. |
Listen for ideas |
Listens for facts |
Listens for central themes |
| 5. |
Be flexible |
Takes intensive notes using only one system |
Takes fewer notes. Uses
4-5 different systems, depending on speaker |
| 6. |
Work at listening |
Shows no energy output. Fakes attention. |
Works hard, exhibits active body state |
| 7. |
Resist distractions |
Is easily distracted |
Fights or avoids distractions,
tolerates bad habits, knows how to concentrate |
| 8. |
Exercise your mind |
Resists difficult expository material; seeks light,
recreational material |
Uses heavier material as exercise for the mind |
| 9. |
Keep your mind open |
Reacts to emotional words |
Interprets color words; does not
get hung upon them |
| 10. |
Capitalize on fact thought is faster than speech |
Tends to daydream with slow speakers |
Challenges, anticipates, mentally summarizes, weighs the evidence, listens
between the lines to tone of voice |
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