Did you know that we listen at 90-200 words per minute? At the most, a 60 minute lecture will have a total of 12,000 words! That is a lot of information that we process every lecture.

But did you know that we actually think at 500-600 words per minute? During the lecture we actually think a minimum of 30,000 words. What are we doing with the 18,000 words that are not used for listening?

Lazy Listeners

You know who you are. You hear the Professor speak and you do nothing about it. Instead you think about your girlfriend, last nights ballgame, what you are going to eat today, what’s on TV tonight, or anything else that is irrelevant to the lecture.

Or maybe you are not listening at all…

Using the other 18,000 Words to be an Active Listener

Given an extra 18,000 words to think, you could repeat everything the professor said in your head, maybe even twice! Please don’t do this, instead repeat only key points in your head and possibly add a note.

For Example: Let’s say your professor is teaching a lesson on early American history. He spent 20 long minutes discussing Alexander’s Hamilton’s Economic policies. Take note to the key aspects of his policies, but also add a note to yourself, “this would make a good essay question.”

We determined that you will not use all 18,000 words to repeat everything, just key points. What could you use the rest of your brain resources for?

• Think of questions that you can ask the professor.
• This will help you memorize the information.
• Also, your professor will be impressed with your attentive listening.
• Relate the key points to other key points your professor has pointed out.
• Evaluate your emotions. Do you agree with the given philosophy? Does it anger you? What would you do differently? Do you understand the information?
• Relate the key points to your own life.
• Think of ways you can further explore the given information by writing down questions that you will lookup yourself, instead of asking the professor.

It’s Not Easy

Being an active listener is not easy. After an hour lecture you will feel exhausted. Eat healthy before lectures, sit up straight to increase oxygen intake, and build self motivation to keep focused.

Take advantage of the time given to you. You are sitting in the class. Therefore, you should put forth all your energy. In the end you will save time and effort, because you will walk out of class with a greater understanding of the material.

Does it make sense to pour a building foundation, destroy it, then pour it again? The lectures are your foundation, and if the information is not stored correctly you will need to start all over.