If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.
-- Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne
..... or it may simply be that they're caught up in feeding the machine on their desk or the gadget in their paws. When there are so many signals competing for our attention, multi-tasking could appear to be the solution. However, the findings of studies into multi-tasking are pretty negative.
Multitasking: “mythical activity in which people believe they can perform two or more tasks simultaneously as effectively as one.” (Edward Hallowell)
In the therapeutic relationship listening is a fundamental consultation skill for the therapist. What about the client though? As you consider this listening, you will really begin to hear more complete messages coming back. How consistent is it with the message you are sending? You should feel reassured that there is an understanding. What you do to improve this understanding will depend on the situation, but there is certainly some wisdom in Pooh's advice.
