Should you Enroll in a Class on Effective Listening?

St. Cloud State University's Riverview Hall

The author of "Listen Up" finds the Effective Listening course at St. Cloud University to be worthwhile for both students and non-students. But what are others saying about this class?

"I recommend this class to someone who hasn't taken communication classes," Joanna Crocker says. "Learning how you listen and being able to notice when you aren't listening are two very important skills to have in any profession."

Joanna Crocker is a student in Dr. Diana Rehling's Effective Listening class at St. Cloud State University. Crocker says her favorite part of the class was learning how to remember people's names.

"There were a few times when people used my first name in class to ask me a question; and I realized how important it is to address someone by their first name, and how much more willing I was to respond to that person," Crocker says.

Crocker says she had always thought she was a good listener, but from taking the effective listening course she was surprised to learn "how easily I can tune someone out."

"I had always thought that I was a pretty good listener," Crocker says. "But I found out I still have a lot of work to do."

 What is Crocker's overall experience in the effective listening class at St. Cloud State University?

"Overall my experience with taking the listening class has been really enjoyable," says Crocker. "I learned a lot about how I listen and how I can listen more intentionally to those around me."