Who's listening?

I agree with Bronwyn Fryer over at HBR Blogs who writes that listening is becoming an endangered skill. However, I am not a big fan of the four processes he recommends we must follow (i.e. think ahead, weigh the evidence, review periodically and listen between the lines - all while the other person keeps talking) which also I find distracting from truly listening and connecting to someone - the kind of total listening experience that is required to a) understand and b) connect with another person or persons especially those who have a problem or need that our product or solution or service must address. 


Indeed, nothing else, I mean nothing else, is more important to a bid manager than listening well.