Hi there, I can totally understand some of the concerns! I struggle with my ability to really hear what my professors/mentors are saying right in front of me. I can be standing in a clinic setting, with someone talking in front of me for three minutes and often not have heard a large portion of what they said. I fight this endlessly, and it has at times been EXTREMELY frustrating (and embarrassing). This first year of veterinary school was an incredible challenge -- it took me until about 1/3 of the way through the second semester to find a number of methods that helped, and perhaps they might help you as well....
For classes, the biggest thing that helped me (and literally changed my life) was acquiring the LiveScribe Pen. You may have read about it here on SDN, but it is legitimately unbelievably helpful. It has really changed my studying/calmness/grades. It records the lecture being given AND the notes that you are writing such that you can go back later and relisten to the whole thing and watch your notes as they are being written. Furthermore, you can tap on the notes on the page and it will go immediately to that spot in the recorded lecture without having to fast-forward/rewind etc. It allows you to hear what you missed, without having to necessarily re-listen to the whole thing. It has really relieved a lot of my anxiety that stems from my attention span. I find it's a vicious cycle that the more i miss, the more anxious I get, therefore the more I miss. But when I know that I won't miss anything (because I can go re-listen later), I tend to be much calmer, and therefore actually hear MORE than I did before, just because of that calmness allowing me to focus more. Also, it allows you to share your notes/recordings online so that friends can tap on the lectures too to hear the important stuff as well. Plus, my favorite, you can listen to lectures at faster speeds (which I do because I absorb better when the lecturers move faster -- easier for a mind like mine that is already moving far faster than it should be). I now take all my class notes in LiveScribe.
For live one-on-one, I've found a few things that are helping. One, is repeating more often, some of what people are saying (politely of course, ie "So.... can I make sure I got this correctly? You said that (sum up what they said).... is that right?") and whatever you missed, they can resummarize mistakes you might have made in what you said. I try not to do it too often, but if you do it at the breaks in topic, it won't be horribly out of place. You will find that some people may get impatient, but if you do it gently/politely, when they have gotten through a few minutes of talking, most people will give you the corrected version. It helps to keep you on track and by verbalizing the facts, the mind often absorbs them better.
Additionally, if you are working with someone you are becoming more comfortable with (someone you work with more than once), it can be helpful (though scary at first) to admit, "I am not always an auditory learner and I sometimes struggle with absorbing information when I have only heard it once... I apologize in advance, but I hope you don't mind, would you be willing to explain this (aspect/piece/topic) one more time? I sometimes need to hear things a couple of times." It seems simple, but can be really scary to ask/admit. It took me a long time to recognize some of my learning issues, and to be willing and able to express them to my professors without embarassment. The first response I got? "It's so great that you recognize your learning style. I'm happy to talk you through this."
You can also ask, "do you mind if I take some notes?" Sometimes taking a few notes (on a small pad) as they talk will help you pay attention, and help to solidify some of the information. Again, there are always a few exceptions to the rule, but most professors/mentors will appreciate you being honest, and respect that you know what you need and are willing to admit a struggle by asking for help. Most situations may not require even asking permission to take notes... but if you are at all concerned the professor/mentor might be offended, ask first.
Anyhoo, between LiveScribe, being more vocal, and taking more notes, I am finding some improvements. I hope these help you, and I am always open to more suggestions. Thanks for starting the discussion, it is helpful to all who deal with similar struggles. 🙂
