I know I talk too much. We all talk too much. We’re in a period of time where everybody has an electronic bullhorn in their hands all the time. Everybody’s talking and damn few people are actually listening. So, we talk about active listening here quite a bit; a necessary skill to develop for public involvement, resolving conflict and working with people who are upset. Jimmy Buffett calls it a bartender ear – I relate to that. When you think about active listening, we most often focus on how to truly hear and interpret what’s being said and ensuring that the speaker knows and believes that he, she or they are actually being heard. There’s a critical extra layer that is sometimes overlooked and that’s listening for what’s NOT being said – and why – the ability to hear and interpret the space between the lines. Read and hear the following.