Has the comforting myth of multi-tasking lured you into thinking you are being hyper-productive as you continue to check and respond to emails while answering the phone as an employee, co-worker, or family member talks to you? Stop it.

1. You're being rude

2. You are going to miss something important in an email, the phone call, the conversation or all three.

Recent studies have shown that the foolishly dangerous practice of texting while driving has an accident rate the equivalent of drunk drivers. Talking on your cell phone, hands free or not, while driving also increases your chances of an accident. Why is that?

Obviously, you are not paying full attention to driving while texting or talking on the phone.

It's not multi-tasking, it's semi-tasking.

Take a hint from the once very common at-grade RR-crossing signs-Stop, Look, & Listen.

Stop whatever else you were doing when you are having a work conversation.

Look at the person who is speaking.

Listento what is being said.

You'll be surprised at what you hear. And, by the way, the same advice does wonders for personal as well as professional relationships.

In our professional and personal lives, listening is far more important than doing. Too often, we view communication as delivering our message to others. Real communication is a two-way street. There is no communication if messages sent are not received and understood. For communication to have a chance, someone in the process has to be listening, for it to thrive, everyone must be listening.

Those who listen have the upper hand in the conversation. The best communicators are good listeners. Through listening they gain an understanding of the speaker's position, concerns, and needs. Those who don't listen, won't gather those verbal clues that are the key to successful communications. They are listening only to themselves.

So while multi-tasking is inefficiency in disguise, solitary-tasking in conversation puts you at a disadvantage.

Serial-tasking is the way to go. Do one thing at a time, give it your full attention. Stop, Look, & Listen.