Listen - How to Learn to Learn

Good listening skills, in particular Active Listening is essential to learning- and success.

Listening- you think you know it- most of us think we're good listeners. It's very hard to know and acknowledge that you are not good at listening. You may never become a good listener because so many personal emotions and prejudices get in the way of listening.

A good listener tries to understand thoroughly what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but before he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is...
- Kenneth A. Wells, American

Active listening is about focusing on the person who is speaking. An active listener needs to focus full attention on the person who is speaking.

Here are a few good links to learn more about listening:

What is listening?

• Poor Listening Habits, Poor Listeners, and Good Listeners.

Active Listening

You'll find here the four characteristics of empathetic listeners.

Attributes of Good Listening

Have you ever stopped to think that we require courses and training in our education in speaking and writing, but not in listening? Why not?

Active Listening: A Communication Tool

• ask good questions,
• listen non-judgmentally,
• paraphrase, and
• empathize with the speaker.

Finally, would you have believed someone who came up to you and said he was a member of the International Listening Association?