Listening is a very important skill to have, part of how you communicate with the world around you. A good listener will maintain eye contact, be responsive, show interest in the speaker, and will not interrupt. With the three types of listening, the situation determines which one you will use at that given moment. The following essay will describe all three different types of listening: active, critical, and emphatic, and provide examples of each. As the most common type of listening, we are likely to use active listening more than others. Active listening means making a mental outline of the important points, thinking about the challenges to face for those points and getting mentally involved. We use this type of listening in college, to get directions, solve problems, and share interests (Hybels and Weaver). This type of listening is effective because it is simple and direct. We take the information, process it by creating a mental outline of the important parts, and then we begin to challenge and question whether the information is how we come to truly understand the material. During this type of listening, you should identify the central idea. These tie together fragmented ideas and give them meaning (Hybels and Weaver). Next, you will form a mental framework, as mentioned above, this will give you the whole picture instead of just individual points. After that, predict what comes next. This will keep you focused and force you to concentrate. This is important when you are not interested in a course, but are forced to take it. The fourth point is to connect the dots to the experiences. This will help you retain information. Next, you will look for similarities and differences from what you already know. Finally, you'll ask... middle of the paper ...... if your friend is angry, you might say, "You seem really angry!" and they would probably respond by explaining why they are angry. Next, you would listen to the story and pay attention. You don't have to say much here, just listen and seem understanding. After learning the whole story, you should let the person solve the problem, but don't ignore the situation (Hybels and Weaver 95-97). In conclusion, by using active listening, critical listening and empathic listening you will be able to learn more information. In a classroom setting, using active listening will be more effective, while critical listening is ideal for any communication context and emphatic listening is more effective for personal conversations. We need it because listening is extremely important for success. Without proper listening skills, we could not communicate accurately with the world around us.