The most precious gift you can give anyone is your undivided attention.

How many times have you tried to “fit in” a conversation with someone – whether it was on the cell phone while driving; on your laptop while at a noisy cafe; or even while reading email.

Stop. It may be doing more harm than good.

We are all busy, but a misunderstnding will cost you more in the long run.

First, the other person or people know you are distracted (you can’t fool us). Second, your behavior tells the audience they are not important (loss of trust and credibility). Third, you are loosing your opportunity to have impact by not hearing and understanding your audience.

Building savvy communication skills includes not only getting your message across, but also understanding and truly hearing the other person. How else can you craft your message to be meaningful? How else can you have impact?

If you are not listening, you are not having a real conversation. You will need to spend time repairing the relationship first and then trying once again to get your message across to have the impact you desire.

Save time and credibility – give your undivided attention the first time (and every time).