To improve your listening skills, remember a few simple rules. The results will be excellent.
Try to understand before interpreting or criticizing
The starting point for improving the hearing is to avoid interpreting and criticizing the message before the speaker finishes his or her speech or before you understand it. The first few attempts may discourage you, because the final result may be significantly different from what you originally expected, and the hearing may not be a hundredfold effort. However, over time you realize that in some cases you were wrong and your judgment about the situation was wrong.
Evaluate your understanding quantitatively
The fact that our hearing is generally passive means that we almost never try to figure out how many of what we have been able to remember.
Here is a good exercise to improve the quality of the hearing: try to track what information you have heard and what part of it you have been able to remember. Over time, the amount of information memorized will increase and our listening skills will naturally improve.
For a few days, try to get back to what people told you, what their intentions were and how you behaved when listening to them.
Take notes
A good method of teaching us to focus on the information we hear is to take notes on the topics we think are most important. Clearly, this exercise should be reserved for presentations, lessons, and conferences (and although it may seem incredible, I have met people taking notes during informal conversations).
Distance yourself a little bit
We are usually so worried about ourselves that we forget about those around us who need to be recognized and considered. To improve your listening skills, try to accept people as they are, not as you would like them to be. Recognize that some of your opinions may be misleading, and interpret your doubts in favor of others. Prepare to work hard on this because there is always the temptation to give up and focus on yourself again.
In the process of improvement, you will sometimes encounter discouraging situations that will make you think about how successful you are in the art of public speaking. If you give up at these moments, you will be mired in a pile of apologies and excuses and will not be able to continue your journey. You will need the determination to get past these obstacles and the strength to move on.
Demosthenes, considered to be one of the best antique speakers, has achieved success in the art of eloquence after overcoming the difficulties associated with his physical disability. Problems with breathing, articulation, and posture left him no hope of success in the world of public speaking. In addition, he was constantly mocked because when he spoke, one-shoulder rose above the other. However, Demosthenes had such a quality as purposefulness.
At the beginning of his preparation, Demosthenes went to a secluded place, where he could not be disturbed by anyone. To ensure complete concentration, he shaved off half his beard and half his head hair. It was impossible to show up in public like that.
To learn to breathe correctly, he did long, exhausting daily jogging. He corrected his diction by putting pebbles in his mouth and trying to say the words as correctly as possible. Since he could not control the position of his shoulder, he decided to practice in front of the mirror, and whenever he made an involuntary movement, he made a deep cut with his sword. The wounds were so serious that he had to control his strength. Thanks to determination, Demosthenes' dream came true: he became the greatest orator whom Greece knew.