Listening Skills for Teens
Helping Kids Develop Receptive Communication Skills
Make sure kids are familiar with these six steps for gathering spoken information.
Good listening skills are crucial not only for academic success, but for social interaction, too. By sharpening their receptive language skills, kids can prevent misunderstandings, get clear information, and maximize time. Teach them the following components and characteristics of a good listener:
Set your purpose. Why are you listening to this person, anyway? Is it a teacher giving a lecture to a class? A person giving you directions to a party? Someone who is angry because they think you have slighted them? Knowing the purpose of the communication helps you know what cues to listen for, and helps you determine which parts of the communication are most important to remember.
Remembering. Depending on the topic and situation, you might need to take notes. This can range to jotting down a phone number or a couple sets of instructions to taking lengthy notes during a lecture. Isolate the key parts, and make sure you write them down somewhere that you can access later. Reread your notes occasionally while you’re taking them to ensure that they make sense.
Body language. Your body language lets the speaker know that you are attending to them. Make sure you are facing the speaker, maintaining eye contact, and focusing your attention. Show your understanding by nodding your head at appropriate times. Don’t fiddle with your materials, clothes, or other distracting items; you may miss important points, and you are likely to send the message that you aren’t listening. Try to focus your concentration on the speaker and what they are saying. Likewise, use cues about the speaker’s body language to gauge things like mood and content importance.
Questioning. Ask related or follow up questions at the proper time. Get clarification on things you don’t understand. You can make subject-related comments, but only if it’s appropriate to the situation. Steer clear of off-topic remarks; they signal disinterest or an attempt to change the subject at an unsuitable time. Proper questioning helps you make sure you have the information correct, and reinforces to the speaker that they’ve been successful at getting their message across.
Ending. What cues signal that the speaker is finished? Look for phrases that signal a natural stopping point, such as “in closing,” “that’s all,” or “we’re done.” Resist the urge to stop attending before you’re sure that all of the information has been given.
Summarizing. Develop the ability to sum up what was said in a few sentences. Focus on what you perceive as the most important parts. If a lot of information was given, try to verbalize one or two key things that you heard. If you’re unsure, try reframing the content of the communication back to the speaker for verification.
