Poor communications is one of the time problems identified by workshop attendees. Poor listening habits are a major component of poor communications. The onus is on the listener to avoid pre-judging, daydreaming, interrupting, criticizing the speaker's delivery, reacting to emotional words, or being distracted by the environment. Effective listening can be learned. It requires greater mental application, because it is an active skill. Try this evaluation of your listening habits to see if you already qualify as a good listener:

In the midst of a busy and noisy plant or office, can you concentrate enough to understand everything that is said to you?

When someone is presenting a lengthy proposal, can you keep your attention focused on the speaker's ideas instead of letting it wander?

Knowing that you can think about four times as fast as a speaker can talk, do you use the extra time to ponder what is being said?

When listening, can you block out the speaker's delivery and physical appearance?

If a talk is boring and of little value, do you concentrate on listening for something of value to come?

When the speaker makes disparaging comments, can you suppress your emotional response enough to hear what is being said?

If you have answered yes to each question, then you are already a competent listener. If not, you might want to work on your listening skills.