Listening is an art that can be surprisingly difficult.  How often have you caught yourself wandering off in distraction while another person is speaking to you?  For example, you might have drifted off into problem solving, planning for the next day, or even daydreaming.  Listening becomes even more difficult when the environment is filled with noise and activities.  Overwhelming sensory stimuli hinders our ability to receive information clearly and accurately.  This can be detrimental especially if the information being conveyed is important.

Mindfulness is key when it comes to effective listening.  Mindfulness helps you to stay in the present moment and bring full awareness to what the other person is saying.  In the next few weeks,  you will find tips for practicing mindfulness while developing the art of listening.  The benefits are profound since the better your listening skills, the better others will listen to you as well.