I find that it’s quite a demanding discipline to give someone my undivided attention. There are so many competing demands from other work, the e-mail that’s just arrived, or what’s on the screen that it’s hard to shut them out. One of the ways I focus is to use what I call “the 2 question” method. I make sure that I ask two questions in a row and that the second question picks up on what the other person has just said in reply to the first. It takes mindfulness. The second question should show that you have really understood the first answer and allow the conversation to stay focused on the other person.