If you ever experienced daydreaming while someone was telling you something, you might have had an embarrassing moment if the person asked you a question and you had no idea what he was saying. Effective listening is important for conversations and for learning at school, seminars, meetings and on the job. If you learn how to listen more effectively, you will understand what is going on during conversations or through lectures more easily.
The first way to improve your listening skills is to always remind yourself to pay attention and listen. To effectively listen, you must consciously block out distractions, such as cell phones, noises and people walking around. You must develop a habit of doing this in order for it to become normal. As a person is speaking to you, choose to take an interest in the person's speech and decide to find the information useful. Avoid focusing on the person's clothing or looks and instead listen intently to every word she is saying. Another key point is to avoid interrupting the speaker. It is impossible to listen intently to someone if you interrupt them while speaking. Let them finish speaking before joining the conversation through speech.
If you are listening to a speaker who begins to talk about a challenging subject, you have two choices. The first choice is to simply let his words bounce off of you, which will cause you to not absorb anything he says. The second choice is the better one: listen more intently, grasping on to the hope that you will understand at least some of what is being said. Avoid letting yourself drift off to daydreaming during difficult material. Instead, listen closely, take notes and jot down any questions you may have. When appropriate, ask your questions. You may never find the answers you are looking for if you don't ask.
According to Southern Nazarene University, most people think at a rate of approximately 400 words per minute. The problem is, most speakers talk at only about one-fourth of this rate. The difference in these rates allows extra time in a listener's brain for other activities -- and distractions. To become a more effective listener, take this time to think about what the speaker is saying. Anticipate what he will discuss next and review the notes you have so far by rephrasing the information you have heard. If you can rephrase the thoughts by putting them in your own words, then you most likely understand the subject and will retain at least some of the information. By thinking and rethinking about the topic, you are more likely to learn something from it and remember more of the speaker's words.