How To Get The Most Out of Audiobooks
By: Jake Daghe
Tags: Coaching Corner, Coaching, Leadership Development, Growth, Books

Tips for Retaining what you’ve Listened to

When it comes to audiobooks, retention is queen.

Enjoyment is king.

If you aren’t enjoying what you’re listening to, then maybe consider switching books. Remember, don’t just ditch the whole practice of audiobooks based on one bad menu item.

But right behind enjoyment is retention.

If you aren’t remembering or retaining what you are listening to, why are you listening? With reading and audiobooks becoming more and more popular in leadership circles these days, the temptation is there to jump on the bandwagon just because everyone is doing it and it sounds good to be able to say you’re a “reader.”

That’s called hollow reading. And it probably won’t help you in the long run.

You want to have your imagination sparked. You want to remember what it feels like to laugh out loud when great writing captures your heart and tickles your mind. You want to feel the deep emotions that comes with powerful storytelling and get to know the characters, places, and circumstances that are awaiting you on every page or every minute of audio storytelling.

Sink into the books and the audio and be someone who not only is touched by the content but someone who carries that content with them as you set off to touch the lives of others around you.

If you are on board for retaining what you listen to, here are some tips for how you can do that.

1. Pause Button

This is one of the most beautiful buttons on your audiobook screen. It is the equivalent of setting down your book on your kitchen table with the spine open as you take a short break before you come back to it again.

When I listen to audiobooks, one of the biggest temptations I face is to keep listening. Which ultimately you need to do to finish the book. But I’ve found that after a particularly impactful minute or chapter, I’ve really enjoyed hitting the pause button and creating space for my brain to catch up to what I just heard.

I like to roll the words over in my head and make sure that I am processing what the author is saying, not just allowing words to come in one ear and out the other.

So if you are new to audiobooks, don’t be afraid of the pause button. Pause as much as you like. It’s your book. It’s your adventure.

2. Three Sentence Summary

For every audiobook that I listen to, as soon as I’m done, I try to write out what I think would be a three-sentence summary of the book. I know what you’re thinking… only three sentences!! But here’s why this practice can be helpful to me and to you:

short sentences require you to be precise and brief

short sentences are easier to remember

short sentences are easier to share with other people when they ask

short sentences are less time for you in the long run

short sentences are do-able by everyone.

That last point is important. Everyone can write down three sentences about something. This post is full of sentences. This tip isn’t asking you to write a 12 page single-spaced summary of the books you’re reading. That would be daunting.

Writing three sentences will help transform your understanding of the book and how you can keep that information close at hand for months and years to come.

3. Summary Sheets

This is the next step up from point number two. Once you get in the rhythm of writing out your three sentences for each audiobook, you can start to think about building out a short, one-page summary sheet for each book you listen to.

For me, my preferred tool to do this is Evernote. I have a folder titled “audiobooks” (creative, right?) where I make a new note for most books that I start. For fiction books, I don’t feel like I need a summary page since I’m not taking away a lot of practical and applicable contextual points. For most other categories, I try to make this summary sheet where I can write down some of the notes that stand out to me while I’m listening to that particular audiobook.

If this sounds daunting and you don’t know what notes you would put down on your summary sheet, a good place to start that I’ve found is with the chapter titles and any list headers that the author uses in his book. It can be as simple as a table of contents.

Basically, your summary sheet should be unique to you and should hopefully be a short cheat-sheet of shorts that allows you to remember and recall more of what you are listening to.

When I am listening to a book, I often keep a note on my phone open and pause the book to write down items I want on my summary sheet. Then I transfer over to Evernote. Eventually, when I finish my audiobook, I go back and clean up my summary sheet!

And viola! Building out a summary sheet is a massive help in your journey towards retaining what you listen to.

4. Bookmark your Reading

This is a tip that is dependent on what platform you are using to listen to your audiobooks. Maybe you don’t have the ability to jot down notes as you listen, especially if you are in the car or doing something like mowing the grass.

Most audiobook platforms will allow you to put in a bookmark if you are listening which serves as an indicator of a section that you liked and that you want to return back to.

If I have time, as I’m listening, I will drop occasional bookmarks and will then go back towards the end of the audiobook and re-listen to those sections that were particularly impactful.

5. Follow Along with a Physical Copy

I’ve only done this a handful of times, but it’s been helpful when I have had the space and time to employ this step.

Retention can be increased by associating what you are seeking to remember with multiple senses. If you can see and smell something, odds are that you have a better chance of remembering that item than if you could only see it. Same goes for reading and listening.

If you are still struggling to retain what you are reading, maybe consider taking an audiobook and getting the physical copy as well. That way, when you listen to your book, you can also read along and engage multiple senses in the process.