Speakers can sense if they do not have their listener's full attention by the listener's body language. Sleepiness and boredom can be apparent to a speaker through such signs as droopiness, yawning, drumming fingers, twiddling thumbs and looking away. Listeners can also signal lack of interest by looking at an electronic device such as a cellphone or laptop. Students may be intently taking notes on their computer, but if they never look up and make eye contact with the speaker, she cannot verify whether the listeners are engaged or surfing the Web.
Effective listening is respectful. Interrupting a speaker mid-thought to ask a question can cause a speaker to lose his train of thought. If a speaker asks for audience responses, avoid answering in a confrontational way; this can unnerve a speaker and cause him to feel awkward. Respectful listening includes putting away or turning off electronic devices, unless they are for note-taking purposes. Electronic rings and beeps and sometimes even typing can be distracting for speakers.
Active listening involves making an effort not only to hear but to understand a speaker, as well as giving signals that the speaker has your full attention. Students can listen actively by taking notes and asking questions during a designated question-and-answer period. If the setting is a group discussion, students should allow others the opportunity to speak. Active listening also involves giving cues such as nodding and saying, "uh-huh."
Students also need to learn how to listen to retain information. When listening to a lecture, students should be recording the most important information, or the major points, and they should know which details to leave out. Instructors can teach students note-taking strategies such as shorthand or forming notes into flow charts and diagrams to increase effective listening.
After teaching the elements of effective listening, have students practice what they learned. Instruct students to take notes during student presentations, and pair up all students to prepare a couple of questions to ask presenters. Effective questions are specific, open-ended (require more than just a "yes" or "no" answer) and are relevant to the presentation, all qualities that demonstrate the hearer was listening effectively.