The Listening Ladder

Try including each rung of the listening ladder to improve your listening skills: 

L: Look at the person speaking to you
A: Ask questions
D: Don’t interrupt
D: Don’t change the subject
E: Empathize
R: Respond verbally and nonverbally.

"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk."

 --Doug Larson

 

  The Lost Art of Listening, Second Edition: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships