Hearing is not the same as listening. Every moment of every day, if we're blessed with healthy ears, there are sounds. Sounds surround us to the extent that we routinely tune them out—traffic, the hum of a refrigerator, conversations in a café.
Only when something out of the routine occurs do you listen to these sounds. Two cars collide in traffic. The refrigerator suddenly stops humming. A café patron at the next table mentions the name of your company. Now you're not just hearing. You are listening with attention, gathering information, assessing the meaning of what you're hearing.
Active listening occurs when we make a conscious effort. It ...
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