Here are some simple tips for improving your listening skills

Try hard not to think about your response until the other person is done speaking. Trying to from your response while the other person is still talking means you probably won't hear everything you need to hear.

Don't talk prematurely or interrupt. Allow the other person to complete their thoughts before jumping in. Interrupting a train of thought can often get the conversation off on a tangent and make it difficult to get back to what the other person wanted to say.

Concentrate carefully on what the other person is saying. Look at the other person when they are speaking. Don't thumb through papers or appear distracted. Carefully listen to every word.
Listen without bias. Before forming an opinion, let the other person explain their position. If you allow past experience or your opinion about the other person to bias your ability to listen effectively, what they are saying and what you interpret them to be saying could be entirely different.

Never assume you know what the other person meant if the wording is unclear. If someone says that they need something "as soon as possible" does that mean now, tomorrow, next week or some other time? If you assume that it means one thing and the person meant another, you have a problem. Ask what they specifically mean when they make a comment that is unclear.
Listen actively by nodding your head to acknowledge, making good eye contact, saying things like "I understand" or "that's interesting", for example. This tells the other person you are listening attentively. Be careful not to overdo in terms of nodding or making acknowledging remarks, however.

• Clarify by repeating in your own words when necessary what you understood the other person to say.

• Practice your listening skills every day. You will be amazed at how much more effective your communication will be when you assume the responsibility of becoming an excellent listener.

• One of the biggest obstacles in business is ineffective listening. Don't let it negatively impact your performance.
  

Exercise:
1. Describe below an incident where ineffective listening by you, the other person or both contributed to poor communication.

2. In what ways can you improve your listening skills and how will you begin to apply those skills in your job?