When we analyzed what each was doing, it turned out that Maria was a better listener than Darren. She recognized the difference between just sitting in class and hearing what the professor was saying and sitting in class and listening.

Listening is more than just physically hearing what a person has to say. It also means paying close attention. Listening requires a great deal of work and concentration. Since researchers tell us that students spend 60% of their time listening, it certainly makes sense for us to examine how well we listen and to work on improving our listening skills.

We might wonder, if listening is so important, why we don't do it better. There are a number of reasons why we don't listen more effectively. Some of them are listed below. Next to these reasons are listed ways to listen more effectively.

1. We're physically and mentally tired.

It's very difficult to pay attention in class or on the job if you are physically exhausted or mentally fatigued. If you've been working all night or were out very late the night before, you're going to find it very difficult to concentrate.

Be physically and mentally rested.

Make sure you get enough rest; and sit up straight in a comfortable position.

2. We're easily distracted.

Did you know that we listen four times faster than we can speak; therefore, we have time left over to become distracted. Also, we may be concentrating on a problem we are having at home or at work instead of on the situation at hand. This kind of concentration requires discipline and practice. Push yourself to stay with the speaker ... the same way you might push yourself to run that extra mile.

Learn to use that extra time to think about and analyze what the person is saying.

Leave your problems outside the door. Concentrate only on the information at hand.

3. We think the subject is boring.

It's true that we can't be interested in everything, but many times we think something is boring because we don't want to make the effort to understand it.

Try to see how the topic relates to you personally.

It's true that you might find the President's speech on the budget quite boring and difficult to follow, but see how it is going to affect you, for example, in loans to college students.

4. We evaluate what the person looks like rather than what he/she is saying.

Certainly we can't ignore what a person looks like or what he/she is wearing. However, if we begin judging the value of what someone says by the way he/she says it or by other nonverbal cues, we may miss some very vital information. Many times we judge something to be boring before we even give the person a chance to finish what he or she is saying.

Hold your judgements.

Pay attention to what is being said and not to what the person looks like.

5. We're too busy thinking about what we want to say.

How many times have you been in a conversation and you didn't pay attention to what the other person was saying because you were too busy thinking about what you wanted to say? This is especially true when arguing with someone or when we don't agree with what the other person is saying.

Learn to pay attention and to respect the other person's opinion even if you don't agree.

A great way to learn to do this is to paraphrase what the other person said (paraphrase means to put it in your own words) before you give your opinion.