Practicing Active Listening

Developing active listening skills will help you get the most out of fast-paced lectures in graduate school. Active listening means that you are listening carefully to what a speaker is saying so you can understand the speaker's meaning and learn the information that is being conveyed. To listen actively, you need to:

• Be on time for the lecture and sit where you can see and hear.

• Complete any required reading before the class so you will have some level of familiarity with the topic.

• Listen for the main point and major subpoints of the lecture so you can understand how all the information you are given relates together.

• Listen for the overall organizational structure of the lecture, which will again help you see how information relates together. Look for organizational cues that reflect the organizational structure of the lecture.

• Pay close attention to the introduction of the lecture for cues on how you should organize your notes.

• Listen for signpost words such as 'next,' 'first,' and 'finally.' These words indicate transitions between topics.

• Listen for words that indicate cause-and-effect relationships (because, therefore, thus, etc) or that compare and contrast ideas (similarly, however, on the other hand, etc).

• Pay attention to what the person is saying and how the person is saying it (tone, nuances, word choice, body language, etc). Using all of your senses will help you stay focused.

• Pay attention to the lecturer's volume and speed. Most people talk more loudly and slowly when they are emphasizing important points.

• Avoid multitasking. Turn off your cell phone and put away the newspaper. Don't try to balance your checkbook or do work for another class while you are listening to the lecture.

Listening actively is a skill that will be useful both during graduate school and in your post-school career.