It’s a safe assumption that you think you are a good listener. Almost everyone does. The reality is that there is always room for improvement. The brutal truth is that we as humans get lazy and depend on canned answers and minimal involvement when it comes to communication with others. As communication becomes more and more abbreviated (i.e. texting shorthand and emoticons), the way to separate yourself from the pack is to be an active listener. Are You a Good Listener? There is a misconception that being silent, engaging with facial movements and verbal sounds and summing up what someone has just said is a sure way to be a good listener. It’s a start to be sure, but we’ve all gone through the motions as we think we are really listening to someone, but are actually thinking about something else entirely. Acting like a listener when you really aren’t listening is a subconscious way of multitasking during the busy workday. When you do this, you make the person you are “talking to” think you are listening, but you’re really trying to get a couple of other things done (i.e. mental note of what tasks need to be completed...
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