Help Students Become Better Listeners with These Tips

In our busy modern world, it's becoming more difficult to focus on one thing at a time. But distractions and constant multitasking can have a negative effect on our work and our relationships.

While students studying with us naturally want to improve their English skills, at the same time, they can also work on their overall communication skills.

To help their conversations be the best they can be, share these tips for being a better listener. Some of them may seem obvious, but it's often the simplest things that are the most important.

Body language

An important part of conversation in any language is to not only listen but to signal to our partner that we are listening. This can be done in a variety of ways.

One is by making eye contact. This makes a strong connection and lets the speaker know that they have the listener's attention.

Attitudes on eye contact can vary from culture to culture, but students should know that it is generally considered a good thing in English-speaking countries — as long as it doesn't veer into the uncomfortable territory of staring. 

In addition to using our eyes, there are other ways to communicate through body language. The folding of arms shows that the listener is "closed" and perhaps not accepting what their partner is saying. Instead, it is better for us to show "openness" by unfolding our arms and turning our bodies to face the speaker.

Finally, a big way to signal interest is to make sure smartphones are put away. Speaking to others while also looking at a phone — a practice now known as "phubbing" — has become a big problem and should be avoided, no matter if the setting is professional or casual.

Backchanneling 

Listening doesn't have to be a purely silent thing, of course. In fact, it's best if it isn't. If students don't already backchannel in their lessons, this is a great time to introduce them to the concept.

Essentially, using quick words or phrases at particular moments is an excellent way to communicate that the speaker is being listened to intently. Students who tend to remain silent will likely improve their overall communication skills simply through some careful additions of "OK," "I see" or even "Uh huh," if the situation is casual.

There is also "Really?" when reacting to surprising news, or "I'm sorry to hear that" for showing sympathy. These not only keep the conversations from becoming dull, back-and-forth exchanges, they also do a lot to signal to the speaker that they are being heard.

This article has several more examples you can share with students.

Asking questions

When we are interested in something, it's natural for us to want to know more about it. Therefore, great listeners ask questions to get more information about what their partners say.

Instead of using this technique randomly, however, students should know to only ask when they genuinely want to know more; asking about unimportant details will only slow down the conversation and possibly annoy the speaker.

Tutors no doubt use this technique often, particularly when attempting to get quiet students to share more information, but it doesn't have to be a one-way street — students should also be taking advantage of chances to ask questions themselves.

Test them by giving a prompt and asking them to follow up with relevant questions, like in the examples below.

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Giving attention and speaking in turn

This tip should be obvious, but it's still important to mention. Great conversations require everyone to have an equal chance to speak.

Most students should already know that in both formal and informal settings, interrupting others while they are speaking is rude and should be avoided.

Something they may need a particular reminder of, however, is the trap of thinking about their responses instead of listening carefully to their partners. Language learners often do this when they are nervous about their skills or need more time to think of what to say.

But they cannot give a good response if they have not carefully listened to what their partner has said. So encourage them to make good communication the priority rather than stressing about vocabulary or worrying about perfect grammar.

Paraphrasing

Similar to our earlier tip on asking questions, good listeners often paraphrase, which simultaneously confirms information while also showing the speaker that they are being heard and paid attention to.

You can challenge students to paraphrase something you've said in several ways to get them comfortable with the practice while also expanding their set of practical phrases.

Here are some general expressions for paraphrasing:

• "So what you mean is ~"
• "So what you're saying is ~"
• "If I understood you correctly, ~"
• "Just to be clear, ~"

Read more about paraphrasing and how to help students with it here.

Wrap-up

In many cases, listening only is not enough. Instead, the best conversations require using our words and bodies to signal that we are interested in and focused on what our partners are saying to us. This can lead to more enjoyable conversations and deeper connections.

Going beyond being merely good speakers of English, these techniques allow each of us to become better communicators — no matter which language it is we happen to be speaking.