1. Review the list of Poor listening skills, Identify the poor listening habits that you or your partner thinks you have developed.  List those poor habits and ways to correct them.

2.  Exercise for Improvement of Communication Skills with your partner

    You and your partner should acknowledge everything the other     says for a two-week period.  Each partner should acknowledge what one partner says and in turn have that acknowledgment acknowledged.  This should be done no matter how trivial the original statement seems to be.  For instance, one of the partners might say, “ It is cold today.”  The other should acknowledge the observation in some way, such as:  “Yes, I noticed that is cold also,” or “ you’re right.  It’s colder than yesterday.”  The one who made the original statement could then acknowledge the acknowledgment: “ So you noticed it too.”  This exercise may seem silly.  But two points are important.  First, it will be done for more serious as well as trivial matters.  And second, it is good practice in developing “confirmation” in communication.  Confirmation is a way of letting the other know that you are listening  and that you understand and accept the feelings of the other.