How to Sharpen Your Listening Skills
When we get lost in our own thoughts, we are failing to listen to what is being said to us. We may think we are listening when we really are not. Listening is a skill that we need to develop to focus our thoughts and to stop the mind from wandering, according to BrainReady, an information website that teaches holistic ways to get the brain in shape. An article on this site advises us to take our parents' advice and "pay attention."
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Block out any distractions. Closing your door or turning off your cell phone will help you listen better. In order to truly listen, you must focus only on what is being said to you and ignore everything else.
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2
Listen to the speaker without doing anything else. You will not hear everything that is being said to you if you are not paying complete attention, BrainReady says. Body language is an important part of communication, and if your focus is elsewhere, you will not notice it on the person who is speaking, according to the BrainReady article.
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3
Digest the information and wait until the person is done speaking before you speak, even if you agree with her. This is another lesson you probably learned from your parents, not to interrupt. This includes refraining from making rude facial expressions while someone else is speaking. If you disagree with what is being said, stop yourself from thinking of your comeback statement. Hear the other person out first.
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Repeat back any information you do not understand and ask for an explanation. This shows not only that you were listening, but that you want to understand what the person said.
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5
Take a concentration test to give you an idea of the work it takes to focus. Look at the second hand of a clock and focus only on watching the clock. Whenever you begin to daydream, start over. Do this until you have uninterrupted focus for 30 seconds. Although that is a great start, according to BrainReady, it is only the beginning of how long your listening goal should be. Do the 30-second test every morning for practice.
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Use a word to snap you out of it if your mind starts wandering. You could say "focus" to yourself, for example, or "clear the mechanism," a line about the brain from a Kevin Costner movie.
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Set aside some time in your day when you can deal with the thoughts that are making it hard for you to listen. When you realize that you will have time to think about these things later, it will free your mind to concentrate on someone else.
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