Bits of my thoughts

Put away the smartphone, ignore the land line, the laptop and the iPad. There is nothing worse than trying to talk to a person who is distracted by a screen or the ringing of a phone. If you want to really hear what the other person is saying, you must eliminate the noise around you. This allows you to focus on the person you are talking to, showing them that you think they are important and, for the time being, the center of your attention.