Listening

This morning in the coffee shop a group of us sat around the table conversing. I noticed that a gal was speaking but was interruped before she finished. Was the other person even listening? Most of us take good listening for granted. Therefore, we don't work very hard at improving. But it is a complex activity! Listening requires an active response, not a passive one. To be an effective listener involves several processes. What you think about listening, what you feel about listening and even what you do about listening. I may not feel like listening to someone and so attitude definitely plays a part. In my work as a real estate agent I have found that the job requires me to be a good listener. My sellers and buyers have alot on their minds and selling or buying a home is one of the biggest decisions of their lives. Sometimes I just need to listen. I read somewhere that we were given two ears and only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking! Listening........something to work on.