Find a safe and comfortable place outdoors where you can sit and relax. After a short while, actively listen to what is happening around you. Identify and focus on one sound at a time. If your thoughts start drifting away, gently bring them back to the task at hand. Enjoy this activity for as long as you wish. This exercise allows you to practice and improve your ability to focus.
The next time you are in a crowd of people, tune in to different conversations and determine what people are saying to each, alternating from one to another. Move your attention periodically from listening to an individual conversation to the entire crowd, noticing the differences in sounds and how your ability to decipher what is being said is affected. This exercise allows you to practice focusing as well as the ability to shift your attention.
When listening to someone speaking, take advantage of pauses between words to make a summary in your mind of what was said. You may find this especially helpful when you are participating in a conversation and it is your turn to speak. Taking a moment to mentally summarize what the other person said before you speak will help you formulate the most appropriate response. Making mental summaries helps reinforce learning and allows you to practice your listening comprehension skills.
When you are listening to a speech or someone talking to you in a conversation, attend to what that person is saying and try to formulate an idea of where they are going with the message. Predict what the speaker will say next. Repeating this exercise as you communicate with people in a variety of settings will allow you to sharpen your ability to focus and attend. It also help improve listening comprehension.
When you are listening to a person who is trying to get you to believe or agree with him, identify the way the speaker supports his argument(s). She might belabor a point, use emotionally charged words and/or refer to illustrations and examples to make her point(s). A speaker may use one or more such persuasion techniques but likely prefers one method over the other two, using it most frequently. This activity improves listening comprehension and listening efficiency.