English II – Unit 1: Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Active Listening
Show Transcript
In order to listen well, you must concentrate. You might say, "yea, yea, I know. . ." but then you are falling into the trap that was just demonstrated in the video above. We all make choices about what we will and will not truly listen to. When you are required to listen to information that is necessary for your studies, your work, or the safety of others, you need to listen critically, carefully choosing what to remember. In order to do this well, you should take notes on what the key ideas are. Not quite sure how to do that? Read on!
Objectives
* Identify the main idea of short presentations. * Identify characteristics of active listening.
Remember, listening is an active, rather than a passive, skill. It has certain physical and mental characteristics.
Consider carefully each of the following questions in order to evaluate your listening skills. If you are unsure about how to answer some of them, ask your family, your friends, or your teacher to help. They may be more aware of your listening problems than you are. * Do you daydream when others are talking? * Do you take notes when someone is giving you information that you may need later? If not, do you always remember this information? * Do you tend to shut out people or ideas that you do not like? * Do you ask questions when someone says something you don't understand? * Have you ever missed part of an assignment because you were not listening? * Do you depend on your friends to remember the assignments for you? * Do you follow discussions or drift away in the middle? * Have you ever been embarrassed by saying something which clearly showed everyone that you had not been listening? * Can you summarize the main points of talks and programs after they are over?
