10 Bad Listening Habits and How to Turn Them Around
- Calling the Subject Dull
- Listen with a fresh ear. You may learn something new!
- Criticizing the Speaker
- Look beyond the speaker themselves to the message being delivered!
- Getting Overstimulated
- Try not to judge the argument until you have heard it all.
- Listening Only for Facts
- Look for main ideas and principles instead of facts.
- Trying to Outline Everything
- Remain flexible in your note taking strategies.
- Faking Attention
- Be active and engaged in your attention!
- Tolerating Distraction
- Avoid distractions and distracting behavior
- Choosing Only What’s Easy
- Broaden your listening arena to include new things!
- Letting Words get in the Way
- Strange or strong language can be off-putting. Remain patient
- Wasting the Differential
- Reign your thoughts to follow everything that is being said, without running away
Adapted from J. Seltzer and L. Howe, “Poor Listening Habits: Identifying and Improving Them”