ABSTRACT
In showing interest, asking questions and listening for the answers without distraction, Boies was simply practicing the one skill that has made him inarguably great at relating to people. Many people take good work for granted and give feedback only when they encounter problems. More studies show that adults spend more than half their daily communication listening to someone else speaks. The most important characteristic of feedback is that it always has a context: where it happened, why it happened, what led up to an event. Listening is the central skill in the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. No matter what type of relationship–professional, personal, neighborly, romantic–listening is the skill that forms the bond and keeps the relationship moving forward. Ralph Nichols, followed by a number of other researchers, was early to discover that many of employ listening habits that are ineffective and may interfere with learning.
