Hi Northerner. I'm just curious ... how do you decide that your audience has 'forgotten how to listen'? I don't remember anyone saying 'that was a great story, but I lost the thread/was bored/didn't like it/fell asleep because I've forgotten how to listen', so I'm wondering if there are other clues that you are picking up and I am missing?

I've always sort of assumed that if I make a decent job of singing a song, (or reciting a poem or telling a story) and the piece has something interesting to say and is suitable for the venue, then the audience will find listening quite easy and enjoyable. If they don't, I tend to conclude that there is fault either with my ability or my choice of material (and on many occasions, in my case, both! But that's another story!) It's never occured to me to wonder whether the audience has been the problem, so advice you can give me for clues to watch for would be much appreciated.