1. Repeated, perfunctory responses. A person who repeats, Oh really? Wow. Oh really? Interesting. isn't particularly engaged.
2. Simple questions. People who are bored ask simple questions. When did you move? Where did you go? People who are interested ask more complicated questions that show curiosity, not mere politeness.
3. Interruption. Although it sounds rude, interruption is actually a good sign, I think. It means a person is bursting to say something, and that shows interest. Similarly
4. Request for clarification. A person who is sincerely interested in what you are saying will ask you to elaborate or to explain. What does that term mean?When exactly did that happen? Then what did he say? are the kinds of questions that show that someone is trying closely to follow what you are saying.
5. Imbalance of talking time. I suspect that many people fondly suppose that they usually do eighty percent of the talking because people find them fascinating. Sometimes, its true, a discussion involves a huge download of information desired by the listener; thats a very satisfying kind of conversation. In general, though, people who are interested in a subject have things to say themselves; they want to add their own opinions, information, and experiences. If they arent doing that, theyre probably keeping quiet in the hopes that the conversation will end faster. Or maybe you just aren't letting them get a word in recently I was talking to someone who, though fascinating, didn't want to let me contribute to the conversation. I enjoyed it, but not as much as if I'd been able to talk, too.
6. Abrupt changes in topic. If you are talking to someone about, say, the life of Winston Churchill (I have a tendency to dwell at length on this particular subject), and all of a sudden the other person says, So how are your kids?, its a sign that he or she isnt very interested or perhaps not listening at all. When someone makes this kind of switch, I have to fight the urge not to drag the topic back to what I want to talk about but the fact that someone has introduced a completely different subject is a sure sign that the subject is not engaging.
7. Body position. People with a good connection generally turn to face each other. A person who is partially turned away isnt fully embracing the conversation. Along the same lines, if you are a speaker trying to figure out if an audience is interested in what you are saying:
8. Audience posture. Back in 1885, Sir Francis Galton wrote a paper called The Measurement of Fidget. He determined that people slouch and lean when bored, so a speaker can measure the boredom of an audience by seeing how far from vertically upright they are. Also, attentive people fidget less; bored people fidget more. An audience thats sitting still and upright is interested, while an audience thats horizontal and squirmy is bored.
