"Listening is a rare happening among human beings. You cannot listen to the word another is speaking if you are preoccupied with your appearance, or with impressing the other, or are trying to decide what you are going to say when the other stops talking, or are debating about whether what is being said is true or relevant or agreeable. Such matters have their place, but only after listening to the word as the word is being uttered." | ||
| --– William Stringfellow, Writer, Friends Journal | ||
Writers want us to listen.
Speakers hope we listen.
Teachers complain of students not listening.
Our peers, our customers, our coworkers, our staff, and even our managers all hope we listen to what they say regardless of how they communicate with us.
Often when I meet someone new, my tendency is to listen more than speak. As someone more introverted are you like that too? Occasionally, word gets back to me from the person who introduced me to this...