In small group meetings, the amount of focus and attention we put on listening is far less than the amount we put on our response.
Instead of spending quality time listening to others describe the core issue of the question or problem, we tend to preoccupy our minds preparing our response. We do this even before processing the question completely.
Next time you’re in a small group meeting before you start framing an answer, spend time understanding the question/problem completely. And know it’s absolutely okay to come back with a well-thought-out answer much later, rather than to just blabber on, at the moment.
Remember to give a question the attention it deserves.