Hone your listening skills.

Have you ever interacted with a staff member only to suddenly realize that you don't know what the person just said?

Often, when we appear to be listening, we are not listening at all. Because we do so much listening in our lives, we can become passive about the skill and, as a result, miss a lot of what is being said. Here are some tips for increasing your listening skills.

* At meetings sit where you have direct eye contact with the speaker. If you sit in the front, center section of the room or at a 45-degree angle from the speaker when at a table, the speaker will make eye contact with you. You will work harder to stay tuned in, because you know eye contact is inevitable.

* When the phone rings, say to yourself, "I'm going to listen as though I have to report this to someone else." This attitude will force you to listen more attentively and will help you to listen from the beginning.

* Develop listening triggers--objects, words, or environments that remind you to listen. A former employer of mine had a listening chair in his office. When he sat in that chair away from his desk, he disciplined himself only to listen.

* Tell a fellow staffer who cannot attend a meeting that you will give him or her a report. This responsibility will motivate you to listen carefully during the meeting.

* Listen to ask questions. This mental approach will help you to assimilate material easier, even if you don't literally ask the question.

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Submitted by Stephen D. Boyd, a professor of speech communication at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights. E-mail: [e-mail].