listen, Listen, LISTEN

Often times when I'm in a meeting or talking with someone important, I find myself doing a few things that I wasn't aware of until recently. 

When we are 'listening' to someone talk, often times we aren't really listening to what they say.  See if you are guilty of any of the following:

When a person is talking, I _________________

1. formulate in my head what I'm going to say next.
2. wait for a pause so I can interject my own story.
3. get distracted by my surroundings easily.
4. interrupt them to tell my own story/thought that theirs had reminded me of.
5. nod frequently and agree with them when they haven't even finished their thought.
6. interrupt them to finish their sentence, portraying to them I've already heard what they have to say and it's not important to me.
7. wait impatiently for an opportunity to arise where I can change the subject or leave.
8. fiddle with my keys or become anxious.
9. make plans in my head for things I want to do after this discussion is over. 
10. go on my cell phone and start multi-tasking.

Number 10 is probably the worst offense you can do during a conversation and it should probably be #1 because everyone does it.

The next time you find yourself in a conversation with someone, try to keep the focus on them and genuinely listen to what they have to say.