Veronica Sharpe, marketing manager for Diamond Communications, an outdoor advertising company, arrived in the boardroom for her teleconference with Brad Jones, a potential client. She was extremely busy today, and brought her smart tablet with her, checking e-mail along the way. She also brought her digital voice recorder so that she could record the conversation for reference later. She intentionally left the cameras off, opting to only use audio transmission. Brad called right on time, and they began to speak about Brad’s plan for utilizing advertising space on the variety of electronic billboards along Interstate 45, a north-south route through Houston, Texas. About two minutes into Brad’s exposition of his plans, Veronica’s smart tablet buzzed. It was an e-mail she had been waiting for for two hours, and time was of the essence—she had to reply quickly to settle a payment before the 4:00 p.m. deadline, 5:00 p.m. in the eastern time zone from where the e-mail was being sent. She thought to herself, “I'm recording all this, so I can just review it later—I have to answer this e-mail now. Time to multitask.” About a minute later, in the middle of her e-mail response, she noticed a distinct pause in Brad’s speech. “Veronica?” Brad asked. “Still there?” “Oh, yes,” Veronica answered, embarrassed. “Can you repeat that last thing?” “I want to know if the plan is something that your firm can accomplish, or do I need to find another firm with electronic boards?” Brad asked.

1.  What principles of effective listening was Veronica violating?

2.  What do you think her best alternative is at this moment in time, given her lack of attention to Brad’s proposal?