Why ‘active listening’ will make you more productive, and how to do it

There are two types of listening: passive and active. With passive listening, you don’t chew on someone’s words too much; you simply react to what they say and try to get your own points across. Active listening is different, and in my opinion a lot more productive. With active listening, you bring all of your attention and focus to your conversation, which means the conversation has a lot more meaning, depth, and you get a much greater return from your time. It takes more energy and effort, but I think it’s well worth it.