Listening is a skill that we have to learn. It takes effort, attention, patience, and practice. It’s a process that requires us to use different parts of our brain. Effective listening can improve our relationships and our jobs, as well as enhance our intelligence. Leslie Shore explains what it takes and what gets in the way. Leslie Shore has worked in the retail industry and personal management fields, as well as being a professor and instructional designer, where she has gained much wisdom in what it takes to be an effective listener. She is the owner of Listen to Succeed, a consultancy that focuses on using listening analytics to help personal and professional clients achieve their highest level of effective communication. She is the author of Listen to Succeed: How to Identify and Overcome Barriers to Effective Listening (self-published 2012). Her book is currently being used as a textbook in several universities.

Interview Date: 4/15/2016. Tags: Leslie Shore, listening, deep listening, effective listening, hearing, life skills, deepening friendships, multitasking, cell phones, communication, external barriers, internal barriers, interrupting, intruding, mind reading, body language, mind map, rehearse, advertising, technology, internet, television, politics, law of least effort, Personal Transformation, Self Help