There, she notes that myriad distractions keep use from the challenging discipline of active listening. Distractions may involve imagining what the conversational partner will say before he or she completes the train of thought. The distraction may also be environment-related and involve focus being drawn in by surrounding random things. In addition, the very devices that bring connectivity provide myriad ways of selectively tuning out others.
Facial acknowledgement and eye contact are essential parts of listening. To practice mindful listening, it is important to make eye contact with friends and strangers. If this is done with an open heart, there will not be a sense of awkwardness or oddness to the encounter. Also, practice looking at oneself in the mirror regularly and seek out a core realization that, beyond protective barriers, all of us simply want to be loved.