Listen and Learn

“WE’VE learned 85 per cent of what we know by listening,” says a report in the Toronto Star newspaper. Although we spend much of our time listening, we are distracted or preoccupied or we forget 75 percent of what we hear. These attention-grabbing statistics highlight the need to develop our listening ability.

“Poor listening skills are at the root of many of society’s problems,” according to the report. Rebecca Shafir, a speech pathologist and communications expert, believes that this is often a factor in suicides, school violence, family breakups, and drug abuse.

Social scientists observe that people have different listening styles. Some are people-oriented listeners and like to hear all the colorful details surrounding a story. Others are action-oriented listeners and want the speaker to get to the point. “So, in a conversation between a people-oriented listener and an action-oriented listener, what we could have is a failure to communicate,” says the Star.

For good reason, Jesus stressed the need to “pay attention to how you listen.” (Luke 8:18) Good listening shows good manners. It is a vital part of good conversation. Practical suggestions on how to listen during a conversation include turning away from distractions, leaning slightly forward, and giving active feedback with eye contact and nodding. Since much of our learning depends on effective listening, paying attention is something we must all continue to work on.