This entry explains matters of theoretical background related to listening for gist and how it distinguishes itself from other forms of listening. The entry further introduces various linguistic and personal elements that interact when one is listening for gist. Among the linguistic signals are stress and intonation patterns, as well as the use of coherence devices. Personal factors include motivation and decisions about when and where to focus attention. From here the entry moves on to suggest three categories of practice for the TESOL classroom: response activities, demonstration exercises, and production practice.