Listen And Learn

In a world filled with noise too many of us have lost the art of listening.

We hear but we fail to comprehend. Overwhelmed by the cacophony that assaults our senses we withdraw often attempting to mask our absence by increasing our own volume.

Effective communication is a dying skill being killed off by our reluctance to accept that it’s not only about speaking but also very much about listening.

Everything we know we learned by listening, not by talking. Everything we will learn will be the result of hearing the wisdom of others.

Many personal and business relationships fail because of a breakdown in communication. That breakdown is rarely characterised by total silence. More often than not it’s the result of far too much talking and far too little listening.

There are winners and losers when it comes to communication. The winner is rarely the one who makes the loudest noise. Nor is it necessarily the one who insists on having the last word.

The most successful communicator is the one who hears what is being said and then considers what has been heard using common sense and calm clarity to discern its accuracy and value.

Such a measured approach is not always possible in the heat of the moment. Agitation quite often results in an increase in pitch and enthusiasm. But, given time, substance will always win over shouting. Value should never be determined by volume.

The most dangerous people in society are those who have no opinion because they can easily be convinced of anything. Most people who have an opinion also have a desire to express that which they believe to be true and interesting. They want to share. They deserve to be heard.

When we stop listening we stop learning and when we stop learning we stop growing and we run the risk of not becoming the best version of ourselves…and that’s such a waste.