Mary Taylor: My father looked at me disapprovingly when I talked to him about ideas that he didn’t agree with. He would often interrupt me in the middle of a sentence to tell me I was wrong. As a result of the childhood experience, I had difficulty concentrating when anyone in authority talked to me. I would concentrate on how I was coming across to the other person, not on what the person was saying. Chris More: My father used to frown when concentrating on something. I thought he was angry or upset with me until I later found out that he was only thinking about what he was doing. I certainly experienced some anxiety until I found this out. When I started conducting seminars, I discovered that I frowned a lot while concentrating on what the talker was saying, and the attendees thought I was being critical of them. Janet Smith: I constantly tuned others out while they were talking and I couldn’t seem to break this habit. It upset me because I was having trouble at work listening to directions and paying attention during meetings. As it happened, my mother had been a nonstop talker who ignored my needs. To keep my own sanity, I had learned to shut her out of my consciousness. I became so good at tuning her out that I generalized this behavior—tuning other people out as well. Lydian Mason: I often feel victim in my interactions with my boss. I think he is the persecutor and I’m the victim. For example, late Thursday afternoon, my boss gave me a twenty-page project with graphs and numerical tables to type and finish by Monday at 10 a.m. I didn’t listen to the time he stated when he handed me the project. Instead, I was busy figuring out how I was going to get it done and finish the other work I had on my desk. Jack Candison: When I am with a group of people who are interested in the subject I am covering and are receptive to me, they are open to more material and ideas. The more important the subject is to them the more listening involvement they get into. In other words, the more relevant my material is to their personal or professional goals, the more they listen to what I have to say and the less they tune me out. Statements A. It’s hard for me to change my bad habit of not listening to others. B. The heavy workload worried me so much. C. Concentration, like other skills, takes practice. D. I gave people the impression that I’m being picky. E. My boss listens to me carefully. F. My father used to ignore me. G. People are likely to listen more attentively while the subject is of interest to them. Jack Candison