If you've wondered why people don't listen to you carefully, I think I've found the solution.

Have you ever wondered why people don't seem to be listening to you while you're talking? My theory is that most people are mentally preoccupied, either because of marital stress, romantic mishaps, or chronic physical ailments. They are either lamenting the past or wallowing around in the wreckage of their future (based on their imagination). Most people do not know how to live in the now.  The big problem is the health factor. A few months ago, when reading Advertising Age, I read the statistics on what's spent advertising Maalox, Preparation H, Immodium, Midol, Zoloft, Prozac, Celebrex, and Viagra. When you divide the number of people in the U.S. into the amount of money that's spent, it makes you think that almost everybody you're speaking to either has gas, an itchy anus, or the heartbreak of psoriasis.

Imagine you're talking to an attorney for $300 per hour. You think he's listening to you? Bullshit! He's waiting for his Preparation H to kick in. At best, almost everybody you're going to speak to tomorrow is suffering from some kind of gastric disturbance, if for no other reason than they're taking all this medicine. They're going to be rushing through your problem because they fear an attack of flatulence, or worse yet, a return of yesterday's diarrhea.

To be on the safe side, be repetitive. To be on the safe side, be repetitive. Be sure you're getting through the diversion of your recipient's potential physical and/or mental distress.

Now, when it comes to women over 48, who knows what they're hearing? A hormonal imbalance is a dreadfully distracting calamity. There are, of course, many, many reasons why somebody very important me, who it is essential will understand what you're saying, won't understand at all. Assume one of your employees just got a bad mamogram report. It is unreasonable to accept that company matters take precedence over that and woe behold the person who goes under neurological surgery with a doctor who has jock itch or, worse yet, a bus driver with jock itch. To be on the safe side, reiterate your point of view several times and listen to the response. If the feedback is not positive, try again.

Lastly there is a group of people not listening to you simply because they are almost deaf. If this is a person that you have daily social intercourse with, the kind thing to do would be to advise them. Maybe they'll consider a hearing aid. This won't make you too many friends, but the next time you talk to them, I bet they'll be listening as hard as they can.

Here's to good communicating,

Carl Marcus
Chairman