• Applying the components of listening skills helps you develop into a good listener.ear image by Connfetti from Fotolia.com
  
  Listening is an intricate procedure in which people relate with a speaker to interpret meaning. As individual characters of experiences, we sort out what we hear by matching new information to our background knowledge, relating circumstances and familiarity. To interpret what we hear correctly can be a difficult task. Becoming aware of the components of the listening process, we can build precise listening skills. There are different levels of perceiving information that assist in developing keen interpreting of what we are hearing, according to the Saskatchewan Education English Language Arts Curriculum Reference Committee.
  
  

Pre-Listening Level

• Pre-listening skills involve setting the stage for listening or activating your listening skills prior to what you are going to hear, such as a speech or lecture in school. To spark your interest, set a purpose for listening by gathering information prior to hearing the topic. When you have prior knowledge, you are likely to listen for something you want to know. This helps you focus on the topic by sorting out the information heard instead of listening to a speaker. Activate your listening by relating what you hear to your background knowledge or matching the information to your own experiences.
  
  

Listening Level

• Listening skills include interpreting oral language and constructing meaning. To perceive information accurately, you can become an active listener by making predictions, interpretations and assessing what more you need to know. Monitor your own understanding of the message by asking yourself, "What do I need clarified?" Write notes, questions, your ideas and personal responses while listening to a speaker. This helps you become involved in the content of the message, and you are more likely to remember more information when you are actively tuned in to what you are listening to.
  
  

Post-Listening Level

• Post-listening skills entail clarifying your understanding by reflecting on what you have learned from what you just listened to. It is vital to check out your perceptions with others. Discussing with someone what you heard and learned immediately builds your comprehension of the topic, bringing new ideas to mind and a higher awareness of the content. Summarizing your ideas enhances your understanding. Reflecting on what you heard immediately and applying what you heard and transferring the content to real-life situations extends your thinking or cognitive skills. Reproducing what you listened to through further reading, writing and discussions helps you to develop the levels of the listening process into a habit, becoming a precise and keen listener.