How to Pay Attention in a Lecture

Let’s just be honest, not every single lecturer you get is a super enthusiastic young adult who has a great topic to talk about. Quite a few of them are old men who drone on and on about seemingly nothing and make half of the class fall asleep. Here are five tips that might work for you on how to pay attention and get those notes you need for exams.

Ignore Other People

The main thing here is not talking to your friends. Not only is it super distracting to others around you, but you and your friends are missing out on what’s being said. Talk about your weekend after the lecture, not during it. There’s a time and a place for everything, and the lecture theatre is not a place for gossip. This tip also applies to the people that come in late and slam the door, or the sick people that sniff and cough really loudly. Ignore those sounds and just focus on the lecturer.

Pretend There is No Clock

Every lecture theatre has a clock, every teenager has a cell phone, and a lot of people have laptops that they type their notes on. They all tell you the time, and staring at it watching the seconds tick by, or constantly glancing at it to see only one minute has passed is not beneficial for you at all. Keep your eyes to the front and resist checking the time. It’s a lot more distracting than you may realise.

Don’t Browse the Internet or Play Games

As I just mentioned, a lot of people are using laptops these days, including myself. I often see people on Facebook or playing solitaire instead of taking notes. Just because you’re browsing the net or playing a game doesn’t mean you are listening, so keep your Internet browser and your games window closed. Not minimised, closed.

Pick a Good Seat for You

Everyone will concentrate better in different places. If you need to be up the front so no one can distract you, then sit up the front, even if you have to be there an extra five minutes early to get that spot. Maybe you are more comfortable in an aisle seat because you can stretch your legs out. It doesn’t matter what your preference is, you should try and sit there for every lecture.

Use Optimal Note-Taking Systems

This is different for everybody, and you need to spend some time figuring out what is best for you. If you spend a lot of time writing long and neat notes, you might be spending less time listening and therefore will miss a lot of key information. Perhaps recording lectures would be a good option for you. And if you’re super quick at typing, then bringing along your laptop could be a good idea. Look into other ways that might work for you, and experiment until you’re as efficient as possible.

Keep on thinking of your own ideas on how to improve your lecture experience. Hopefully at least one of these tips was helpful and you can use it to start paying attention. Good luck for your exams!