Listening In Conflict

I wish I could say that I am an excellent listener and always pay attention to others but I'm not. I constantly zone out when people are talking to me and start to focus on my own concerns. A very bad communication habit that I intend to break. I've mentioned this before in some of my previous communication classes that my roommate once asked me to make a percentage of how much I really listen to her when she rants and my answer was a honest 70%. During serious conversations I am the best listener there is but as soon as someone starts to rant about random topics is when my listening skills deteriorate. In this chapter wen learn how to personalize conversations by using statements such as "I feel" or "I think", in order to let the other person know we are involved and listening. As the book states listening is a desire to pay attention and being open to others opinions. It is crucial to be able to truly sit down and listen in order to be a good communicator especially in a conflict situation.