• Consider your purpose for reading and what you need to be able to understand, know, or do after reading.
• Determine what you already know about the material you are to read.
• Give the text an initial glance, noting headings, diagrams, tables, pictures, bolded words, summaries, ...

• Become better at probing other people’s thinking. Ask questions. Simple ones are better. “Why” is the best.
• Slow down. Make sure you give yourself time to think.
• Probe yourself. Try and understand if you’re talking about something you really know ...

As your boss talks, actually listen and don't just think of a rebuttal. Ask open-ended questions to show you are engaged in the conversation.

• Your questions are a paraphrase of what your boss says. "I hear you say X, which to me sounds like Y. Is that correct?"
...