Figure 4-6.  Learners can improve their listening skills by applying the steps to effective listening.  Listening for main ideas is another listening technique. Primarily a technique for listening to a lecture or formal lesson presentation, it  sometimes applies to hands-on situations as well. People who concentrate on remembering or recording facts might very well miss the  message because they have not picked up on the big picture. A listener should always ask, what is the purpose of what I am listening  to? By doing this, the listener can relate the words to the overall concept.  The instructor should ensure that the learner is aware of the danger of daydreaming. Most people can listen much faster than even the  fastest talker can speak. This leaves room for the mind to get off onto some other subject. The listener who is aware of this problem  can concentrate on repeating, paraphrasing, or summarizing the speaker’s words. Doing so uses the extra time to reinforce the$_{ }$ speaker’s words, allowing the learner to retain more of the information.$_{ }$ Nobody can remember everything. Note taking allows the learner to use an organized system to reconstruct what was said during the  lesson. Every learner has a slightly different system, but no attempt to record the lecture verbatim should be made.  In most cases, a shorthand or abbreviated system of the learner’s choosing should be encouraged. Notetaking is merely a method of  allowing the learner to recreate the lecture so that it can be studied. The same notetaking skills can be used outside the classroom any  time information needs to be retained. For example, copying an instrument clearance word for word is very difficult. By knowing the  format of a typical clearance, learner instrument pilots can develop their own system of abbreviations. This allows them to copy the  clearance in a useful form for read back and for flying the clearance. By incorporating all or some of these techniques, learners retain  more information. Instructors can vastly improve retention of information by making certain their learners have the best possible  listening skills.  4-9 