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Mindfulness

Mindfulness, often defined as a state in which we are neither judging nor thinking but rather wholly present in the moment, is an important strategy that helps us to enhance our attentiveness powers and improve listening skills. Mindfulness helps individuals listen for whole ideas rather than partial details, discern fact from opinion, and keep an open mind in order to avoid indulging in snap judgments. Effective listening is always mindful. Mindful listening increases comprehension and can help us identify ideas. Listening for ideas is akin to listening for themes in music, for the musical notes and lyrics that shape the theme. A skill that improves with practice, listening for ideas involves being attentive to the coherence and continuity of the discursive structures we listen to. Knowing how to reduce distractions is of paramount importance for mindful listening.

Tactics for Listeners
Brownell (2006) identifies some tactics that may help us reduce distractions:

  1. Eliminate external distractions by turning off the radio or moving to a quieter area.
  2. Sit toward the front of the room, where it is easier to hear..
  3. Make sure that you are comfortable and there is enough light../li>
  4. Have a paper and pencil handy so that as you think of things you need to do you can write them down and take them off your mind.
  5. Repeat portions of the speaker’s message to yourself silently. It forces you to think of what the speaker is saying and store it in your memory.
  6. Repeat key ideas. Practice using the speaker’s natural pauses to mentally highlight what was said.
  7. Stay mentally involved and physically alert.

And last but not least, take a sincere interest in people and ideas! Remember that “part of openmindedness is realizing that new facts and ideas may change or modify currently held beliefs” (240).

Tactics for Speakers
Brownell also identifies four tactics that speakers may use in order to keep listeners focused:

  1. Repetition. Listeners will pay more attention to a sound that is repeated rather than to one that has been heard only once. Be careful of repeating too much, however, as prolonged exposure may deaden interest.
  2. Change. Speakers can use a variation in pitch, volume and speed to provide emphasis. Nowadays, use of technology such as slides presentations offer alternative ways of introducing a change in tempo.
  3. Novelty. Find ways of arousing the listeners’ curiosity and interest. People often concentrate more when faced with unfamiliar patterns and circumstances. In other words, when expectations are fully met, listeners become less attentive.
  4. Intensity. Intensity, or making emphasis of sound, adds another dimension of auditory attraction. It also helps listeners focus on and remember key information.

Finally, the speaker should structure the content of his or her speech around the possible listening purposes of the audience: listening to gain information, listening to analyze or evaluate, listening for empathy, or listening for entertainment.