Poor Listening generally leads to Poor Client & peer relationship , Projects that focus on wrong problem and Working cross purpose with the team as against advantage of Good Client & peer relationship, Projects that focus on right problem and Working in coherence with the team of listening.

1. Based on Paul John article
By
Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd)

2. Poor Listening Listening
Poor Client & peer relationship Good Client & peer relationship
Projects that focus on wrong problem Projects that focus on right problem
Working cross purpose with the team Working in coherence with the team

3.  Advantage
 Primary
 More you talk less time others get to talk
 Avoid listening all together
 Prevent others from talking
 Secondary
 More you do less others want to be around
 Avoid situation of forced listening
 Flapping gums saves year
 Is it What you want?
Talk what is essential and listen to
others for more information

4. Talkers run out of theme Or Interrupted
 As poor listener
 Start thinking how to resume talk
 Grateful for opportunity
 Think wittiest thing Bring conversation back
to your idea
 Brilliant way
 Think talking
 Big chance to look smart
 Important
 Caring or charming
 Advantage
 Stuck stammering when speaker ask question!
 Inelegant but makes others stop talking
Concentrate on what speaker is saying
intently for better receptivity and grasp

5.  Interruption
 Finishing speaker’s sentence
 Closer to speaker’s thought and demonstrate that you
understand it
 Just doing it
 Speaker is forced to take breath/break
 Remember
 Nasty battle of talking wills
 Others want to talk as much as you want
 Reflects discourtesy and you lose your own esteem
Interrupt if essential and not to score
point

6.  Avoid eye contact
 Speaker does not get non verbal feed back indicating you
are not listening
 Stare unfocussed in space
 Hunt for more important or attractive people
 There is always someone better to talk
 Focus on odd aspect of appearance
 Advantage Do not collect garbage or gold
Listen intently with bright face so that
speaker gets cues of effect of his
speech and turns more enthusiastic

7.  Don’t ask question to clarify comments
 Listened to what was said
 Seals transfer of information acting as confirmation
 Additional questions means extra time which you
are not prepared to spare.
 Non asking may most probably means you have not
grasped what was talked
Clarify doubts with courtsey

8. To confront a person with his own
shadow people is to show him
his own light