Humans are programmed to seek interaction. Whether it be talking in person or over the phone, socializing is a key to developing communication skills. These skills, as they are beneficial later in life, help us mature and form lasting relationships with others; however, though talking is nice, another important concept is necessary: listening.

Listening, to many, is used as a space to give our visual attention to the subject, but not mental attention. As one speaks, many have the tendency to process the information at hand and think about the next comment to be made. This, as it leads to conversation being self-guided, makes messages and pure relationships harder to form. As there have been those times, those times when you are talking and you can slowly see the person in front of you drifting off. It is important to guide your complete focus to someone and the conversation.

Once this focus is learned, the purpose of conversation will be found. Ask yourself, "Would I like someone to listen to me?", "Does genuine and knowledgeable conversation engage me?", "How can I listen to others and not just hear?" Questions like these can help you develop a sense of self and create a deeper understanding for the meaning of communication.

And that leaves one thing: what is communication to you? Is it talking? Listening? Analyzing? All of the above? None of the above? And the truth is it could be none, too. Communication is an exotic thing that can be interpreted in many ways, but interpretation is only done through listening. So, if you must, talk, then think "It's not my turn" and open your eyes to the vast lands of thoughts that are encountered. no one is asking you to agree to even accept, just to listen and process.