Are You Listening?

If you are interested in attracting people, you must first discover how to be an active listener.

Here is an exercise to help you determine just how good you are at listening. Rate yourself 1 through 5 (where 5 most accurately describes you and 1 is furthest from describing you).

	1	2	3	4	5
							I like listening to others speak.
							I encourage others to speak.
							My feeling about the speaker does not determine how well I listen.
							The gender of the speaker does not influence how well I listen.
							I listen equally as well to a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger.
							I put away what I am doing when someone is speaking to me.
							I have eye contact with the person speaking.
							I avoid distractions while listening to a person speak.
							I smile, nod, and otherwise encourage the person to speak.
							I focus on what the person is saying.
							I try to comprehend the meaning.
							I search to understand why the person is saying it.
							I never interrupt the person speaking.
							I never formulate an answer until the person speaking is finished.
							I pause and take a breathe before I respond.
							I ponder statements before I respond.
							If the person hesitates, I encourage him/her to continue.
							I clarify what the person has said by summarizing and restating.
							I utilize listenable rate-of-speech when I speak.
							I listen regardless of the person's tone, attitude, and choice of words.
							I don't anticipate what the person is going to say. I just listen.
							When listening, I remember to slow down.
							I ask questions to get more information from the speaker.
							I ask for clarification of words that I do not understand.