Learning to the sequence of ideas is an important skill in analyzing information.
Learning to listen to the sequence of ideas in a piece of speech can be tricky since it requires you to highlight areas of importance rather than just passively listen. However, it is a valuable skill that allows you to understand the key message of the speaker. Once you are able to do this, you can summarize a speech more effectively. You will learn valuable skills for condensing information into its vital core.
Instructions
1. Listen to the opening part of a talk. Usually, a speaker will highlight the key ideas in the introduction before he moves on to the body of the speech as a whole. Speakers usually use three or four key points, all of which will be discussed in the introduction.
2. Remember the sequence of events by listening to how the speaker links her ideas together. Speakers will usually find a way of linking one idea to the next to prevent her speech from being broken up. Remembering how point one linked to point two will help you remember points one and two.
3. Listen for key words in the sequence of ideas. If a speaker uses a phrase such as "Firstly" or "Additionally," or a phrase such as "Something which is important," he is introducing a new idea. Becoming familiar with these phrases will give you clues when new ideas are being raised.
4. Take a key word from each step in the sequence to help you remember it. For example, if the speech is titled "Be a Good Citizen," and the three points are "Collecting litter," "Voting in elections" and "Helping out with charities," you only need to remember "litter," "voting" and "charities." These are the key ideas.
5. Listen to the conclusion, which will restate the main points in the same way as the introduction. If you are unsure as to the main points, the conclusion will clear it up, as the speaker will use a sentence for each idea.
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