1. Top 10 Ways to Listen to a Lecture

2. 1. Choose the Subject to be Useful  Poor listeners dismiss most lectures as dull and irrelevant. They turn off quickly.  Effective listeners choose to listen to discover new knowledge

3. 2. Concentrate on the words and the message – not the instructor’s appearance or delivery  Poor listeners notice faults in a lecturer's appearance or delivery.  Effective listeners strive to pick every professor's brain for self-gain.

4. 3. When you hear something you are not sure you agree with react slowly and thoughtfully  Poor listeners stop listening to the speaker and start listening to themselves. They either passively reject what is being said or they launch into impassioned rebuttals (to themselves).  Effective listeners don't jump to conclusions and then disengage. They keep conclusions tentative while getting more information.

5. 4. Identify the BIG Ideas  Poor listeners say, "I listen only for facts." They may retain a few of those facts, but the information is usually garbled.  Effective listeners look for foundational concepts. They grab key ideas and use them as anchor points for the entire lecture.

6. 5. Adjust your note taking system to the lecturer’s pattern  Some poor listeners attempt to outline everything, believing an outline and notes are the same thing. They get frustrated when they cannot see "points A, B and C."  Effective listeners adjust their note-taking to the organizational pattern used by the lecturer.

7. 6. Stay Attentive  Poor listeners let their minds to wander.  Effective listeners remain focused and actively try to absorb material.

8. 7. Aggressively Tackle Difficult Material  When poor listeners encounter a tough topic, they stop absorbing and let things start bouncing off them.  Effective listeners condition themselves to be interested in challenging matters. They find a challenge in grasping the meaning of what is being said -- no matter how difficult the subject.

9. 8. Don’t let Emotion-triggering words get in the way  Poor listeners tune people out on the basis of a few words.  Effective listeners don't let the emotional baggage of a word hinder them from getting at the substance of a lecture.

10. 9. Learn to Tolerate some Distraction  Poor listeners are easily distracted and may even cause their own interference by talking, squirming or shuffling papers.  Effective listeners try to adjust to whatever distractions there are and soon find that they can ignore them.

11. 10. Understand and use the differential between speed of talking and speed of listening  Poor listeners drift back and forth between a lecture and thoughts about other things.  Effective listeners use the thinking/speaking differential in three ways: –Riding the crest of the wave by trying to anticipate the next point of the lecture. –Evaluating what the lecturer is using for supporting evidence. –Periodically summarizing the lecture to themselves.