| Keys to Effective Listening | The Good Listener | The Poor Listener |
| Use positive nonverbal cues. | Exhibits by maintaining eye contact and other positive body language | Shows no energy, interest, attention is faked. |
| Hold your comments. | Doesn't judge until all info has been gathered | Tends to interrupt or enter into arguments. |
| Clarify the message | Asks clarifying questions. | Makes assumptions |
| Paraphrase the speaker. | Restates the message before responding. | Charges ahead with own remarks. |
| Stay focused. | Keeps mind alert and attentive. Stays "present" with speaker. | Mentally rehearses own rebuttal or unspoken criticisms. |
| Search for total meaning | Listens for central ideas and themes. | Listens for facts. |
| Be flexible. | Keeps mind open to all possibilues. | Compares to own ideas. |
| Find areas of interest. | Asks, "What's in it for me?" | Tunes out dry subjects. |
| Judge content, not delivery. | Judges content, skips over delivery errors. | Tunes out if delivery is poor. |
| Resist distractions. | Avoids distractions, stays focused | Distracted easily. |
| Keep your mind open. | Defers emotional responses to "hot topics". | Reacts to emotional words or "hot topics". |