To listen better takes focus.
When was the last time you actually evaluated your ability to listen? I know that I can listen more and better, but only recently have I evaluated my ability to listen.
As I talked to a repairman, I spoke quickly. My husband was listening, and after the conversation, he said, "You interrupted and spoke too fast. They didn't understand you." I took note--slow down with talking, don't interrupt, and listen more.
When a visitor told a story at the dining room table, I became impatient. I stopped listening. I thought later, be more patient.
And, at the end of the day, tired after the day's events, I stopped listening when a family member called with a story to tell. The end of the day requires extra patience, and sometimes, when too tired, it may be better to simply not pick up the phone or engage in the story. Sometimes matching your best listening times of the day with stories that require more patience is the right thing to do.
To improve your ability to listen requires that you evaluate your listening skill first. Ask yourself, What gets in the way of good listening.
Reflect on your listening history too. Coming from a rushed home, a busy early life, and always surrounded by many people created a history for me when to talk fast and interrupt meant you got a few words in, but now, in my much later, more tempered experience of life, there's no need to rush or interrupt to get a word in, so it's important to slow down, listen more, and truly hear what people are saying.
As so many experts say again and again, the ability to listen well is a great skill that adds wonderful capacity to your life. This is a positive goal for me, a quest I won't regret. Onward.