LISTENERSHIP
DRIVEN TO REFRESH AN ARTICLE I FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2010
Are You Listening?
SOUNDS FAMILIAR
ONE: Having a conversation when it’s clear the ‘other’ isn’t listening.
TWO: Being in meetings where everyone is nodding away but haven’t understood what was being said.
Alfred P Sloan the CEO of General Motors once walked into a meeting - he saw everyone nodding:
WHAT?
Underlying this condition is the lack of engagement many people have in the topic at hand. Zero curiosity? I understand we are all strapped for time these days. In which case maybe don’t attend the meeting? Don’t request the conversation in the first place? Be truthful and say that you have no interest in the topic whatsoever and change the subject? Find new colleagues? Get a different job?
ALAN GREENSPAN SAID -
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
Nobody Is Hearing
It’s a big problem.
On a personal level it sucks. It’s made me back off having discussions. It’s causing real problems across society. No longer a laughing matter. IMO.
We can see the effect of people not hearing. Underlying the situation it’s respectful - a clear signal that they are not thinking about others. To them a conversation is about waiting to say what they were going to say. My role in this conversation isn't required.
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE HARD OF HEARING
Conversations leave you feeling poorer, taken for granted, exasperated - valuable time that you’ve lost forever.
Zero to little progress. A slower rate of improvement in the state of a program or an initiative
Argument quickly takes on a formation of a side. People ‘conditioned’ into immovable positions through ignorance and structured misinformation. (Agnotology)
Specifically designed ‘language’ being used to ‘pattern’ people with repeated and subliminal messaging.
A Collection Of Wise Words:
“No one is as deaf as the man who will not listen.” - Proverb
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” - Stephen R. Covey
“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” - Bryant H. McGill
“Listening is an art that requires attention over talent, spirit over ego, others over self.” - Dean Jackson
“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another which both attracts and heals.” - L. J. Isham
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” - Dalai Lama
“The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent.” - Alfred Brendel
“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” - Will Rogers
“Listening is about being present, not just about being quiet.” - Krista Tippett
“Listening to others viewpoints may reveal the one thing needed to complete your goals.” - D. Ridgley
“The most basic of all human needs is to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” - Ralph Nichols
“Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.” Anonymous
“There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen.” - Anonymous
“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” - Ernest Hemingway
“Just the act of listening means more than you can imagine.” - Bob Nelson
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have rather talked.” - Mark Twain
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” - Anonymous
“I listened more than I studied, therefore little by little my knowledge and ability were developed.” - Joseph Haydn
“The worst of all listeners is the man who does nothing but listens.” - Charles Dickens
“Listen to your elder’s advice. Not because they are always right, but because they have more experience of being wrong.” - Anonymous
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” - Winston Churchill
“Listening is one of the loudest forms of kindness.” Anonymous
“He who is wise listens.” - Anonymous
“You learn when you listen. You earn when you listen – not just money but respect.” - Harvey Mackay
“The earth has music for those who listen.” William Shakespeare
“God gave us mouths that close and ears that don’t, that must tell us something.” - Anonymous
“The art of conversation lies in listening.” Malcolm Forbes
“Listen thrice. Think twice. Speak once.” - Anonymous
“Listening is a magnetic force.” - Karl A. Menninger
“You can’t fake listening. It shows.” - Raquel Welch
“Be silent and listen. You will hear the keys to success.” - ATGW
“Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” - Bernard Baruch
