Listening, as obvious as it might sound, is a key skill for every social engineer. Average humans will only remember 50% of what is said for a short time and then forget almost all of it. This is because humans are poor at listening, especially, when the topic talked about is not of interest to them.

There are some tips that one can use to become a good listener. These are:

• Paying attention: Attentive listening means that all the focus is purposefully diverted to the speaker. It is important not to be distracted by phones, background noises, the speaker's looks, and so on. Social engineers will even avoid being distracted by other thoughts just to ensure that they grasp everything the target says.
• Giving feedback: It is a good sign to the target that he or she is being heard. Social engineers will use nods and facial expressions to show that they are flowing with the speaker.
• Not interrupting: Interruptions interfere with a speaker's flow of thoughts and should, therefore, be avoided. Interruptions should only be used when it is necessary.
• Responding: It is good to give responses to questions that the speaker asks. This confirms to the speaker that someone is listening: