So there you have it, the dark side, the reasons why communication is so difficult in the modern world, why you and I may fall into these habits and how to get out of them is what we're going to be doing in the rest of this course. It's important to be aware of the problems. And I'm going to give you solutions to all of those problems, including the exercises you've already had. In this chapter of the course. We've looked at the dark side of listening, and how in particular technology plays out and affects our listening abilities. We've looked at the four leeches, which are looking good, being right, people pleasing and fixing.

We've looked at the Seven Deadly Sins of speaking and listening. We've looked at the agents of miscommunication. And finally, we've discovered that vocabulary is something we need to cherish and nurture if we're going to be powerful. In communication, I do urge you to do the exercises of this chapter to check in with yourself and be really scrupulously honest in your self assessment. It's very easy to be in denial of these things, and to have them operating just below the surface. It's really important to tease them out and become aware of how they may be affecting you.

In chapter five, we're going to move on to look at how you listen consciously, and then the rest of the course will focus on sending powerfully. Remember, listening and talking are intimately related and the better you listen the better you'll be able to speak and communicate