An Active Listener

Chuck has a special knack for ignoring me. I don't think he does it maliciously, I truly believe he really can only do one thing at a time. For instance, he can't chew a tasty pork chop and think "Yum, this chop is delicious." and hear me say, "Chuck, Sharkey's eating your mashed potatoes."

But last night he surprised me. Chuck is getting ready for an interview and brushing up on some possible questions. One question asked "What makes someone a good communicator?" With only a few seconds of thought, Chuck said, "Really a good communicator is probably an active listener - someone who allows the other person to speak without interrupting and then reiterates that person's comments in their own words to ensure understanding."

What?! Where did you read that? I didn't even know Chuck knew "Active Listeners" existed let alone knew what it takes to be one. As I listened to this, I fired off the accusations: Who gave you that answer? Do you do all your listening at work and then you're all tuckered out when I get home? Are you the same person who snoozes on the couch ever Sunday and can't hear me say, "Chuck, would you like chili or tacos?" but pops up at the first "TOUCHDOWN!" from the commentator?

While Chuck is great at ignoring me - he seriously can't turn left and hear me say, "This isn't our turn." He'll complete the turn and ask, "What?" - talking to him is generally like playing a word association game. I'll say something like, "Would you like grape jelly on your toast?" and if I'm lucky he'll say peanut butter. If I'm not so lucky, he'll sing and dance to Bootylicious. Why Chuck knows all the words to every Destiny's Child song is beyond me, but that's probably another post.