This Wall Street Journal article by Jared Sandberg explores soft skills training in general and Jennie's Power of Listening workshop in particular.

Whenever you enroll in soft-skills training for work -- leadership, conflict resolution, team-player -- there are aspects of the experience you can pretty much count on: You'll find yourself in a classroom with fluorescent lighting, unstainable carpet and motivational posters that invariably include puppies, elephants or monkeys.

There will always be a bulky binder for course materials, a pull-down projection screen and some form of journal or note card on which you can write your "learnings." Your instructor will likely be unfailingly patient and well-informed. And there will be role playing -- a bummer for those of us just now getting used to ourselves. You almost always begin by exploding commonly held misconceptions and move on to a new set of skills that include some easier-said-than-done bullet points: "Clear your mind."

And so it went last week during a visit to Cornell University's school of Industrial Labor Relations for a two-day class on "The Power of Listening." If you go in with the assumption that you will be fixed like a slipping transmission, it's not very long into the listening exercises, questionnaires and videos before you might think to yourself, I've heard enough.

But, then, of course, you probably weren't listening. Some people here take the course because it helps with certification requirements for certain jobs. Most attendees, ranging from labor-relations managers to a police officer, take it for personal development. There's usually someone who takes it because their bosses are looking to fix them. It's a course I've been wanting to take -- almost as much as my family has wanted me to.

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This article, for which Jennie was interviewed, offers some quick and simple tips to becoming a better listener.

Only 7 percent of feelings are expressed in words, says Jennie Grau, who conducts nationwide workshops on The Power of Listening. Another 38 percent are conveyed through the inflection in a speaker’s voice, and a whopping 55 percent are revealed through body language — so when you're not paying full attention, you really are missing the point! Bad listeners, say those in the know, typically resemble one of the four types listed below. If you recognize yourself among them, take heart — and some simple advice

The Multitasker
Diverted by household chores, e-mail, the traffic jam ahead or an overly demanding pet, you're putting in the time, but not scoring any points as an engaging conversationalist.

The Rx: If you simply can't remove yourself from your distractions, advises Nan Johnson-Curiskis, executive director of the Minnesota-based International Listening Association, set aside a time when you can — whether for an in-person get-together or a simple phone call. We make others feel special by making them feel heard and understood; if people are rarely left with that sense after talking with you, they'll eventually begin turning elsewhere for "meaningful" exchanges.

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