Listening Tips – Before, During, After
Before Listening
- Build your background knowledge on the subject before listening.
- Look at or listen to the title of the passage to determine the topic, audience, and purpose.
- Have a specific purpose for listening and try to figure out the speaker’s purpose (to entertain, to persuade, to inform).
- Prepare yourself to write down key words, phrases, or concepts.
Minimize distractions.
During Listening
- Listen actively for important names, places, or events.
- Identify the main ideas during the first listening and don’t worry about catching every detail.
- Identify supporting or more specific details during the second listening.
- Try using a two-column note taking format (main ideas from first listening in left column; supporting details from second listening in right column).
- Abbreviate common or repeated words (e.g., because = b/c, with = w/, therefore = .. .(or →), e.g. = for example).
- Listen for transition words (e.g., next, therefore, for example, in conclusion) to understand the relationship among ideas, the structure of the passage, or the tone of the author.
- Review notes between readings.
- Form questions that you would like to find answers to during the second listening.
- Think about what is being said; make connections to your own experience or knowledge.
- Jot down any quotations that really jump out at you.
After Listening
- In one or two sentences, summarize what you have heard.
- Review your notes and highlight important information.
- Create a graphic organizer to show the relationships among main topics/concepts and supporting detail/evidence.
- Review your purpose for listening. If you have to write a response, check the question to make sure you have all the information you need.
