Communication

Wikipeadia defines Communication to be

the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and semiotic rules.

Source

Communication has been since time immemorial. Humans develop different ways of communicating to one another either by visuals or by words or by other means. Well, I'm not here to talk about means of communication, that's a topic for another day.
I want to talk about one of the ways of making communication more effective on daily basis.

Source

Communication is supposed to be a two-way thing; words spoken and understanding reached. This post is directed to the receiver of the words (one being spoken to).
I want to build some points from the word LISTEN:
Look Interested

Source

With your facial expression I can tell if my words bore you or not. A lot of times we communicate nonverbally (with our gestures and attitudes) more than we do verbally (with words). The nonverbal communication is even more pronounced than the verbal word. The moment I sense loss of interest I may just stop talking to you.
Let your expression communicate ineterest.

Inquire with questions.
You can only be certain you know what the other person is talking about when you ask questions. Not just any form of questionsñ but relevant ones.

Source

Stay on track

Source
Try not to digress from what is being discussed. Keep the discussion on track as much as possible.

Test your understanding
There's no way you can give an appropriate response if there's no understanding of what is being communicated.
The best way to do this is by asking relevant questions and also using words like "did you say...?" Etc.

Source

Evaluate the message
After Inquiring with questions and you've tested your understanding of what is being discussed. The next thing is to look for possible ways of helping the speaker to profer solution.

Neutralise your feelings
Erase from your mind any predisposed judgement towards the speaker. Give the speaker every sense of freshness not based on previous discussion that isn't related to the present discuss.

I believe you've been able to learn few things from this post
Thank you for reading.