1. Allow others to finish their question before responding.
2. Control negative emotions, such as anger or  frustration. 
3. Do not allow my mind to "multi-task" or drift to irrelevant thoughts, such as the next appointment on my calendar.
4. Ask for clarification, if part of a question is unclear.
5. Pay attention, even if the subject is not interesting.
6. Listen strategically to identify key points.
7. Listen for the speaker's concerns or needs.
8. Hear the speaker's perspective and message content.
9. Prevent annoyances in the speaker's appearance, speech pattern, or beliefs from distracting me.
10. Seek to understand before being understood.

• Use the person's name you're speaking with as often as appropriate. According to Dale Carnegie, a person's name is the sweetest sound in the entire world. (Caveat: overuse can be irritating.) 
• Rehearse before presenting briefings to your supervisor or those higher in the ranks. 
  Listen to yourself on a tape recorder. How do you sound? If necessary, hire a speech coach, to help you improve your delivery and intonation. 
• Use the "playback" feature in voicemail to listen to and re-record your message before sending.
• Join Toastmasters to give you a safe place to practice your verbal skills. 

Writing:

• Be professional in all email communications. Treat all emails as though the company president might see it, regardless of who the addressee is. 
• Send emails to yourself first; how would you react if someone sent it to you?
• Keep all messages short and to-the-point.
• Avoid use of all caps in email messages, which indicates "shouting."
• Learn the format your supervisor prefers for emails and memos; then follow through.
• Use email features to indicate urgency.
• When editing your documents, use spell check and grammar check functions religiously. Ask for help if grammar and syntax aren't your strong suit.
• Use "please" and "thank you" in emails and other written communications. 

Interpersonal

• Care about the successes of your company, teammates and customers.
• Be sensitive to the emotions of others. The same emotions we encounter at home -- anger, compassion, fear, greed, jealousy, love -- are present in the workplace. Listen for the needs underneath the emotions.
• Make friends with and gain deserved trust from colleagues.
• Help others further their knowledge, skills, and confidence. Share articles or valuable contacts with your colleagues or customers.
• Give cards for birthdays, congratulations, and other special occasions.
• Ask colleagues to tell you about their projects. Listen. When you see them again, remember to ask about their progress on the project.
• Concentrate on the other person in dialogue. Use eye contact and open body language.
• Be nice to people "behind their back." Gossip and negative comments about others is bad karma and will always come back to haunt you.
• Do you best to give people the "benefit of the doubt." If they don't meet your expectations, this may have nothing to do with you -- but everything about their own limitations. 

Action Steps: Choose 3 or more tips from above and implement them today. Watch your relationships grow exponentially!