Listening Skills

So there have been a bunch of new "initiatives" and rules and such being implemented at work. Most of it is stuff I do not have to deal with as I only work night shift thankfully. But I do still have to go to various weekly training sessions; which by the way are in the middle of the afternoon which is a very annoying time for a night shift person. But the meetings have not been bad and the extra hour of pay is always welcome. The only thing that has been annoying about the whole process are the inane questions my coworkers ask at every single meeting. I spend the entire time thinking to myself "Seriously? He just answered that" or "Oh my gosh, pay attention; that has already been covered" or, more often than I should, "Wow, that was really stupid, why are you being allowed to speak in public?"

If people would just listen then the meetings would go a lot smoother and my blood pressure would be a lot lower. But apparently the ability to hear and process auditory information from the leader of the meetings is a skill lost on the vast majority of my fellow employees. And not just them, I have noticed this in many other places and with many other people. People just need to listen, to let the information settle in, to process it, AND ONLY THEN start thinking about questions and answers, because if you do that then you probably won't have anywhere near as many questions or comments.