How to Get the Most Out of Listening to a Podcast

I got amazing responses and feedback on my recent post, How To Get The Most Out Of Reading A Book.  I’m glad so many are interested in being lifetime learners.

However, I apparently overlooked the fact that many people like to get their information from podcasts, and on-line articles and blogs.  These people asked if there was a way to get more from these sources of information.  I too read articles and podcasts and have processes to get the most out of them. They are similar to the techniques in my prior post, but with a few twists.

If you have an iPad or Kindle, and you read a lot of articles, simply download the Push to Kindle app.  This app adds an extension to your Chrome, Safari, or Firefox browsers, and works with both iPhone and Android phones and tablets.  This app allows you to send the article to your Kindle or table and then read and annotate it like you would your Kindle books.  Simply highlight the passages, use Bookcision, and then print them off.  This is a great tool for those of us who tend to flip through a lot of websites or subscribe to blogs, and want to read them later on our tablet or Kindle.

I also love podcasts and have developed a process to maximize my learning from them. The most important tool you’ll need is a Dictaphone; this is the one I use. Yes, you will have to work on your dictation skills, but they will be useful here.

While listening to a podcast I dictate important notes and information, and my own interpretation and thoughts on the information, into a Dictaphone. I then send the audio file to www.iDictate.com for transcription. I don’t use the built-in iPhone Audio Notes App, or any other phone app. After trial and error, I learned it’s much easier to start and stop the podcast on the iPhone and dictate into a separate Dictaphone, instead of constantly flipping between a recording and a podcast app.  As well, with many phones synced to a car’s audio system, you can easily start and stop the podcast from the controls on your steering wheel, and only have to hold the Dictaphone.

I hope you keep reading and keep learning.  Of course, I’m always in search of interesting podcasts and books.  If you have any suggestions, send them my way!

**Note: All references to website and apps are solely my opinion and I am not compensated for mentioning them or including links to them.**