Chapter 11. How to Listen Actively

If asked, most of us would probably say that we’re good listeners, truly believing that we pay attention when someone speaks. Good listeners would likely answer “No” to the following questions:

  • Have you ever been distracted while someone is speaking, to the point of losing track of what she’s saying?

  • Have you ever tuned out while someone is speaking, because he was just not very interesting?

  • Have you ever sworn that someone said something that he maintains never having said?

  • Have you ever assumed that you know what a person is going to say before she actually says it?

  • Have you ever wished that someone would just stop talking?

  • Has anyone every asked you, “Are you listening to me?”?

I don’t know of anyone who could honestly ...

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