Note-making and Summarising:

Example:
Question 1.
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (Delhi, All India
2009)
Effective speaking depends on effective listening. It takes energy to concentrate on
hearing and to concentrate on understanding what has been heard. Incompetent
listeners fail in a number of ways. First, they may drift. Their attention drifts from
what the speaker is saying. Second, they may counter. They find counter-arguments
to whatever a speaker may be saying. Third, they compete. Then, they filter. They
exclude from their understanding those parts of the message which do not readily fit
with their own frame of reference. Finally, they react. They let personal feelings
about a speaker or subject override the significance of the message which is being
sent.

What can a listener do to be more effective? The first key to effective listening is the
art of concentration. If a listener positively wishes to concentrate on receiving a
message his chances of success are high.
It may need determination. Some speakers are difficult to follow, either because of
voice problems or because of the form in which they send a message. There is then
a particular need for the determination of a listener to concentrate on what is being
said.

Concentration is helped by alertness. Mental alertness is helped by physical

alertness. It is not simply physical fitness, but also positioning of the body, the limbs
and the head. Some people also find it helpful to their concentration if they hold the
head slightly to one side. One useful way for achieving this is intensive note-taking,
by trying to capture the critical headings and sub-headings the speaker is referring
to.

Note-taking has been recommended as an aid to the listener. It also helps the
speaker. It gives him confidence when he sees that listeners are sufficiently
interested to take notes; the patterns of eye-contact when the note-taker looks up
can be very positive; and the speaker’s timing is aided-he can see when a note-taker
is writing hard and can then make effective use of pauses.

Posture too is important. Consider the impact made by a less competent listener who
pushes his chair backwards and slouches. An upright posture helps a listener’s
concentration. At the same time it is seen by the speaker to be a positive feature
amongst his listeners. Effective listening skills have an impact on both the listener
and the speaker.

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage, make notes on it using
headings and sub-headings. Use recognisable abbreviations wherever necessary. 5
Answer:
Title: The Art of Effective Listening
Notes:
1. Eff. speaking depends on
1.1 eff. listening
1.2 concen. on listening
1.3 concen. on understanding what you hear
2. Reasons why incompetent listeners fail
2.1 attention drifts
2.2 finds counter arguments
2.3 they compete & then filter
2.4 reacts to the msg.

3. Ways for a listener to be more eff.

3.1 concen. on the msg. reed.
3.1.1 mental alertness
3.1.2 phys. alertness-positioning body
3.1.3 note-taking-aid to listener, helps speaker, gives him confidence, encourages
eye contact

4. Impce. of posture
4.1 helps listeners in concen.
4.2 seen by spkr. as a +ve feature among his listeners

Key to abbreviations:
Eff. – effective
concen. – concentrating
msg. – message
reed. – received
phys. – physical
+ve – positive
impce. – importance
spkr. – speaker

(b) Write a summary of the passage in not more than 50 words using the notes made
and also suggest a suitable title.
Answer:
The Art of Effective Listening
Effective speaking and effective listening are two sides of the same coin, both are
equally important. An incompetent listener will always fail as he drifts away. They
counter, compete, filter what the speaker is saying and finally react. To be a good
listener concentration is important combined with mental and physical alertness. The
importance of other factors like note-taking and posture cannot be ignored. All these
are effective listening skills and are viewed as a positive feature by the speaker.
They have an impact not only on the listener but also on the speaker.