Improving Listening Skills – Observing A Conversation
             I spent several hours at a doctor's office and observed 4 individuals talking in the waiting room. There was an older couple sitting in the waiting room together and out of the doctors office came two pharmaceutical reps, one was carrying a large bag with the name of a specific medication on it. The older gentleman noticed and obviously had questions about that medication. The two reps went and sat a seat away from the couple. The gentleman leaned towards the two ladies and asked a question in relation to the medication. As the conversation continued I could see them talking but could not hear them. One of the reps was very quiet and sat far back in her chair, slightly slumped over. She seemed to be uncomfortable talking about the medication with a patient. I gathered that she was new and in training with the other rep. The second rep was very talkative. She sat at the edge of her chair, straight and tall and talked with a smile the entire time. The older woman obviously had medical issues and did not talk; she seemed by her movements she may have had a stroke. Her husband (and yes it was her husband, I did hear him call her his wife) did the talking. He also sat near the end of his chair facing towards the rep. While he talked to her about the medication he kept touching his wife's leg as if to let her know he was not forgetting her. I believe they were truly listening to one another because they were always looking directly at each other and at one time the rep patted the gentleman's knee. She would occasionally tilt her head and smile as if to show empathy towards the older gentleman. She treated him like he could have been her father. The gentleman sat with his hands in his lap or with one on his wife's leg. The nonverbals I observed were basically just the rep putting her hand on her own lower back as if showing the couple what the medicat...