Larry Barker & Kittie Watson, in their book Listen Up has listed the 10 Irritating Listening Habits.
On perusal and some thought, I had to accept that I am guilty of all of them and much more. However, I realized my propensity to "Getting ahead of the speaker and finishing her thoughts" as the worst.
It is not that I had not noticed it earlier; it is just that I attributed it to the slowness of the speakers thought process and at other times, smugly concluded it was due to my intellectual superiority.
Tellingly, there have been numerous such instances where I concluded the interrupter uncivilized. In any case, I now realize how irritating and demeaning it is to the speaker, and have vowed to let others complete their sentences or thoughts before I open my mouth.
Which is your most irritating listening habit or otherwise which habit irritates you?
