I can't hear you if I can't see you!

"Please look at me when you talk to me."  "I can't hear you if I can't see you!"  I can't count the number of times a day I say those things (or something similar) to the people around me, generally to people who know that I can't "hear" them unless I can read their lips.  When I'm talking with some one, it takes a lot of effort for me to listen.  I have to really focus in on them.  I can't be listening to two things at once.  If there are too many distractions I can't listen at all.
I was thinking about this a little ago, after another frustrating episode where I missed the larger part of a conversation because I wasn't focused enough to read lips fast enough and it made me think about listening to G-d.  If I wanted to have a voice to voice conversation with you, I'd make sure that we were in a place without background noise, with good light, with no distractions so that I could understand what you were saying.  If we were having a phone conversation, I'd make sure I was on the amplified phone and there was no background noise.  To talk with people, I take the effort to create an environment conducive to talking.  I stopped and asked myself, what do I do when I want to talk to G-d?  Do I take the same amount of effort to ensure that I can hear G-d?  Do I put myself in a quiet place, without distractions, where my focus can be solely on Him?  Or do I crowd my time with so much "noise" (music, teachings, etc) that I don't focus on Him?  What would it mean for my life to take the time and effort to listen to G-d, the same way that I take the time and effort to listen to other humans?
How do you quiet yourself to hear G-d?