Assignment for the first weekListening skillsOften when a misunderstanding occurs at work, it is attributed to a lack of communication, which most of the time involves whoever conveyed the message did not do an effective job. But what about the other side, the one who listens? Let me give you an example. Mark, a senior executive at a high-tech company, seemed to have all the skills one would expect from someone who had reached his management level. When someone spoke to Mark, he usually gave the impression that he really cared about what was being said. He would look the person straight in the eye, nod his head and occasionally say yes, uh-hu. There was just one small problem: Joe wasn't really listening. The contrast between hearing and actually listening can be as different as night and day. And in a professional environment, failing to listen effectively to customers, employees, and peers can mean the difference between success and failure. One of the best ways to start improving your listening skills is to better understand some of the most common behaviors you and others demonstrate when you are not listening effectively. I did some research on the Internet. Here are some basic rules and guidelines to improve your listening skills. Rehearsal Your full attention is focused on designing and preparing your next comment. You look interested, but your mind is racing because you're thinking about what to say next. Some people repeat entire chains of responses: I will say, then he will say, and so on. Judging Labeling people negatively can be extremely limiting. If you judge someone to be incompetent or uninformed, you don't pay much attention to what that person says. A rule of thumb...... middle of paper ......problem; how close people stand to each other when speaking - all of these and more are rules of politeness that differ from culture to culture. And this also applies to the expression of feelings and emotions. Different cultures regulate the expression of emotions differently. Some cultures become very emotional when debating an issue. They scream, cry, openly express their anger, fear, frustration and other feelings. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden, exposing or sharing only the "rational" or factual aspects of the situation. All of these differences tend to lead to communication problems. If those involved are not aware of the potential for such problems, they are even more likely to fall victim to them, although it takes more than just awareness to overcome these problems and communicate effectively across cultures..