Day 4
The Art of Listening
Sometimes we forget how meaningful it is to others to have someone who truly listens. I think I am a sensitive person but a horrible listener. I am always on the run - not necessarily physically but mentally. My mind races as I try hard to listen. This mostly happens to me with adults. I tend to slow down with students and be a listener and observer. Recently, my daughter wrote about http://thisjustina.tumblr.com/post/17790005363/i-ate-my-foot-again the topic of speaking before thinking and trying to listen more. It got me thinking.
My thinking was enhanced by the following conversation during a phone call with a cousin. She simply asked, “How is school?” When I said, “This week was great, but last week was really tough.” She paused and said, “Really, why so?” Everything about her response was so genuine, the tone of her voice, her pause, and her words, that it gave me pause. We talked on. She listened, questioned and responded when appropriate.
When our conversation was over, what I learned was to slow down and listen harder, to give my total attention to the person talking. Listening is more than just eye contact, it is our voice tone, it is our quiet, it is the right question, it is our body language, and it is not having our phones or computer screens take our attention.
Thanks to all of you who are skilled at listening and care enough to make a difference for all you touch by taking the time to truly do so. If I slow down, I will learn from each of you.
This is a powerful post--and something we should all remind ourselves of from time to time. Thank you for sharing it so honestly. It's a reminder I'll carry with me into the coming week.
ReplyDeleteI love this post and it reminds me of a dear lady I knew in college. She was the mother of eight children, but when she talked to you, she was totally present. How she was able to do that I'll never know! But I still remember being so valued by her because of the gift of her presence when she listened to you.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful way to say it.. her presence!
DeleteDefinitely something to remember to take back to school with me tomorrow. Be present. Listen. Look them in the eye. Thanks for sharing this reminder
ReplyDeleteMy wife often reminds our kids to 'be in the moment' to fully appreciate what is happening; what is being said. It's all part of active listening. We need to rush less and enjoy simple pleasures. When I actively and consciously do that, things miraculaously improve. Your topic of choice was a good one. Thought provoking, and that's what good writing does- evokes a response
ReplyDeleteYou listen more (and better) than you realize...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary Lee on that one. I also think the nature of our society is that we pride ourselves on scratching items off our to do list, that we should be able to multi-task--the more, the better. Just by reading your posts, you can see that you take the time to listen to small and big people alike.
ReplyDelete