One of the biggest challenges I find when listening is ignoring tone. Yes, the manner in which people say things is meta-information, too. But some people have a(to my ears)naturally whingeing tone which riles me. Others are loud and shouty, which is against my own nature. Their message tends to get lost in an internal, perhaps defensive reaction on my part.

For me, the real challenge is to filter out the carrier wave and listen only to the signal without homing in on my own internal feelings and wallowing there. Haven't found a reliable method yet...