Student Success Skills

Practicing Active Listening

by jennifer

August 31, 2012

Exhibit A

BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

What I Do	Sample Barriers
o	Allow background noise to affect listening.
o	Allow daily events or interruptions to affect listening.
o	Have prejudice or negative attitudes toward the person speaking.
o	Don’t make enough eye contact (which should be made 80% of the time) with the person speaking.
o	Lack interest in what is being said.
o	Become defensive when the other person criticizes me.
o	Want to tell ‘my’ story before the other person is finished.
o	Interrupt the speaker before s/he is finished.
o	Respond emotionally to what is being said.
o	Let the speaker’s voice quality of speed influence me.
o	Let someone else distract me.

Meeting People →

The biggest improvement I have made this semester is waking up earlier. Previously, even if I had an early class I’d sleep until the last minute never questioning if I’d get to class on time. Well after being late to class several times or oversleeping and not even attending I realized that I should just wake up at the same time every day and get on a schedule. I now know that going to sleep at a reasonable hour each night is very important. Being on a steady sleep schedule makes my life a whole lot easier because now when I’m in class I am well rested and I pay attention and actually understand what my teachers are teaching me..