Set a time to meet with or call someone who is important to you (grandparents, parents, siblings, closest friend,
romantic partner, etc.) and have a conversation. During the conversation, pay attention to your own listening
behavior and interruptions. Challenge yourself: do not interrupt the person before they are finished speaking, and
do not try to pre‐plan what you will say next while they are still talking. Make a point of eliminating other
distractions in your environment, listening carefully to what the other person is saying, and using active listening
behaviors that show the other person that you are paying close attention. Reflecting on the conversation, did you
notice anything different than usual about how you and your partner interact? Did your partner change their
listening behaviors in response to your approach? If they did or didn’t, what does that suggest about the person’s
communication competency? What did you take away from this conversation, do you feel more or less confident
than usual that you and your partner had a fuller, more complete shared understanding of the conversation
topics?
Sample Solution
