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
The Good Listener The Bad Listener
Listening

1. Find areas of interest Seeks opportunities; asks Tunes out dry subjects
"what's in it for me?"

2. Judge content, not Judges content, skips over Tunes out if delivery is poor
delivery delivery errors

3. Hold your fire Doesn't judge until Tends to enter into argument
comprehension complete

4. Listen for ideas Listens for central themes Listens for facts

5. Be flexible Takes fewer notes. Uses 4-5 Takes intensive notes using
different systems, depending only one system
on speaker

6. Work at listening Works hard, exhibits active Shows no energy output.

body state Fakes attention.

7. Resist distractions Fights or avoids distractions, Is easily distracted

tolerates bad habits, knows
how to concentrate

8. Exercise your mind Uses heavier material as Resists difficult expository

exercise for the mind material; seeks light,
recreational material

9. Keep your mind open Interprets color words; does Reacts to emotional words
not get hung upon them

10. Capitalize on fact thought Challenges, anticipates, Tends to daydream with slow
is faster than speech mentally summarizes, weighs speakers
the evidence, listens between
the lines to tone of voice

Cuesta College - http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/904.htm

Academic Advising and Learning Center

Western Oregon University