What does learning through audiobooks mean in this day and age? It means freedom to multi-task. You can learn through audio books while driving. Or, if you need to focus more, you can listen to them before you go to sleep. This, of course, takes some getting used to but it well worth the practice.
In our busy society, it is sometimes difficult to focus on ourselves. Using audiobooks can be a valuable tool in learning a new skill or bettering yourself. Audiobooks are convenient and can be listened to during down times, such as the commute to work, too.
This blog article is a branch out to life-optimizing readers like yourself that were kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I’m still working on my interview skills (and some of these were done via email/not-in-person!), but I do promise good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which doesn’t happen often).
Topic of Interest: Learning Through Audiobooks
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
R: Give an example of learning through audiobooks (or another form of audio-based learning) that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: I enjoy listening to the Bible from Audible.com. I find it very soothing and inspiring by starting my day with GOD. It helps fortify me to be a better Christian.
R: How do you think a better understanding of learning through audiobooks would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: If people can better understand the value of audiobooks they would be able to expand their knowledge base significantly. Audiobooks can be listened to while doing other things so they can listen to books on topics that they want to learn about but not put as much time as it would take to read a book. Also if more people understood the value of audiobooks the price of audiobooks would become more reasonable so that more people can obtain them.
R: Give an example of how learning through audiobooks has helped you professionally or personally.
I: I love horses, and I used to own my own horse. When I first started trying to train my horse, I was totally clueless. I did not have anyone to ask, and it is dangerous to be around horses unless you know what you are doing. So, I turned to anything I could get my hands on, including audiobooks from my local library. That was such an easy way to learn the basics, without being looked down on, by others who maybe grew up around horses, and dismissed me as just a “city girl”.
R: Describe at least one way you think learning through audiobooks could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: I listen to them during my commute. I ride a bicycle to work, and the distraction has led to some close calls. I figure that a close call on a bike could almost be as bad as one in a car.
R: Give an example of how learning through audiobooks has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: In the past, I listened to audiobooks on long car trips across the state. I was usually alone in the car or with my significant other. I listened to nonfiction books that covered general topics, and would learn a lot of unnecessary things from these audiobooks. One covered the history of the entire world, and explained the problem of global warming in a clear, accurate, easy-to-understand way. Later, I attempted to retell this explanation to someone who doubted global warming and repeated it with errors. I ended up confusing the person, making them further doubt global warming, and came across like I didn’t know what I was talking about.
R: How do you think learning through audiobooks could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Learning through audiobooks is a quick and easy way to learn something quickly. I work as a tutor and will load a book on my iPod when I need to cover new material. This works well when I need to update my schools. With audiobooks it is much easier to find what I need rather than hunting for it in a book.
R: Give an example of how learning through audiobooks could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: Listening to audiobooks at work could be useful because it would give you something to do while you are doing mindless work. Instead of listening to music, you could be listening to something educational that will teach you something. It is also possible that this will help you get more work done because you will be more focused.
R: How do you think learning through audiobooks could help you at home? Why is that?
I: I am blind so have to use either braille or audio. My home doesn’t have much room for storage, and braille takes up a lot of room. I use audio because it’s easier to store and doesn’t take over my house.
R: Give an example of how learning through audiobooks could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: I believe audiobooks would be useful for a couple of reasons. First, the younger set that may not be able to read or read well on their own could learn by listening. The older set or people in general who may not be able to see well could listen. Also, while driving in the car, people like myself who get carsick if they read in the car would be much better off listening, instead. And last- people learning a foreign language could hear pronunciations of words, rather than trying to figure it out visually.
R: How do you think learning through audiobooks could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Audiobooks such as learning a new language will help your relationship when a couple are interracial. Most likely, you will not know your significant others native language but wish to impress their parents. Of course, you have to be proficient and not talk in a bad grammar or tone. However, you will still gain a skill that will last you a lifetime.
R: Give an example of how learning through audiobooks could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Similar to how some people are better at learning through video or visual representations, conversely auditory learners may be better suited at learning through things such as audiobooks. The great thing about that is that these audio books can be played and listened to through numerous multimedia formats, such as on a cd in the car, mp3 player at the gym etc. These can be useful in a personal relationship because if for example you are having relationship issues, sometimes there are self-help audiobooks that can help remedy these. I think that audio learning is also very private, which means that people can do it in their own time, at their own will.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about learning through audiobooks.
I: I would like to find some broader topics. Currently I have an interest in Mycology, and some lectures or studies on fungal growth would be pretty awesome. I do not know of any repositories of knowledge exist in audio form, or where to find libraries of scientific topics with audio books.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about learning through audiobooks.
I: The best advice I can give if you are looking to learn through audiobooks is to check out your local library! Libraries often carry a diverse catalog of titles. If your local library does not have what you are looking for, they may offer an inter-library loan program.
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How was that for a nice little journey into this topic? I hope you enjoyed this interview and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life. Yes, homework is never seen as a nice word, but it’s useful – give yourself an action to use at least 1 thing from this article to help change your life.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?