STRATEGIC LISTENING / 99 Now, let's cover three elements related to improving listening skills: Understanding why people are poor listeners Recognizing the keys to good listening Responding after listening Of course, we'll use some fun exercises to develop your skills. Again, I encourage you to take this training home. Even share it with family mem- bers, and then have them practice with you. Understanding Why People Are Poor Listeners Writer Fran Lebowitz once commented, "The opposite of talking isn't lis- tening. The opposite of talking is waiting." Here's how that happens: We listen at a rate of 600 to 1,000 words per minute. However, we speak at a rate of around 125 to 200 words per minute, with gusts up to 250 words per minute for professional talkers, like TV and radio newscasters. With this gap between a human's rabbitlike speed of listening and tortoise- like rate of speaking, it's no wonder the mind wanders when a seller begins to talk. So let's look at what makes a poor listener: Poor listeners think ahead, about their response to the speaker. They think ahead to what they believe the speaker is going to say (mind-reading should be avoided at all costs, as covered in Chapter 8, on critical language tips). They multitask during phone conversations (including teleconfer- ences and webinars). They begin to become defensive, often arguing mentally instead of listening completely. They become distracted by things outside the speaker (e.g., that book on the shelf, ambient sounds). They think the speaker is boring (yes, here's one scenario where both parties can share the blame). American Management Association / www.amanet.org