Be ready to listen -
sometimes the other person's first few words are the most important (e.g. "Hi, I'm
George
and this is my associate Bonnie." or "Ten sixty-six - that was the year of the
Battle of Hastings.")
Listen through
handicaps to listening - Work around/through
such distractions as the accent of the speaker,
a noisy room, other conversations, etc.
Identify the main
points and supporting points of the
message - work at "getting" what the other person is
trying to communicate.
Organize the points of
the message so they make sense to
you - When practical, feed back your understanding of
what is being said to the speaker.
Avoid focusing on what you intend to say next.
REMEMBER
The greatest problem
with communication is
the illusion that is has been achieved.
