Listening is an important part of communication. Without this valuable part, communication is not possible between any groups of people. Because of this, it is important that every person knows how to listen effectively and efficiently. Here are a few tips that may help you improve your listening skills.

Practice is always the key, so the following activities are important if you want to improve your listening skills.

First, make sure that you have a partner. Because communication primarily involves listening and speaking, you and your partner will switch roles for every repetition. You should start off being the listener. Ask your partner to tell you a story. The story should be as detailed as possible. The story can be about anything: your partner can tell you pieces of advice, narratives, tell you about his/her day, etc. Your job is to take mental notes and to perform the following:

- Nod your head. This signifies that you are listening. Other body language includes facing your speaker and leaving your body "open." This means that you should try to avoid crossing your hands or legs.

- Say "yes" once in a while. After every few minutes, reiterate the story back to your speaker. If the speaker says that your reiteration is good, then you may continue with the activity. If your speaker says that you misheard or misinterpreted something, your speaker must relate the story again from the beginning.

- When the story is finished, think about what your response should be. Is your friend asking for advice? Is your friend asking for comfort? If you think that your speaker is expecting a certain type of response from you, you do not have to give that response. For example, when we hear sad stories from our friends, we expect that they want our advice. However, they could just be expecting simple, consoling words.

After you have finished this verbal task, you will then continue to a writing task. For this, your partner will dictate a piece of literature to you. Your partner could again tell you a story. However, your job is to listen carefully and write down what your partner says.

When you have finished, put the paper aside, face down. Next, have your partner dictate the story again to you. Your partner should use the same story, exactly as how he/she read it the first time. This time, you will not write anything down. Try to remember what your partner is saying.

Afterwards, take a two minute break. Then, place the sheet of paper face up. Your partner will ask you a few basic reading comprehension questions. They will involve asking about details, such as questions that begin with "who, what, when, where, etc." Do you think you remembered more as a result of writing the story down? Do you think you listened well without writing the information down? Or do you think it has something to do with repetition of the story?

These activities will improve your listening skills only if you practice them at least once or twice a week.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to practice your listening skills.?
We want to hear your view. Write now!