Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Listening

This week, in a public speaking class I am taking, we are studying the "art" of listening. It is truly more complex than we often think of it. To really listen to someone--not just hear their words but understand what they are saying--it takes work. There are many things that obstruct communication-- conflicting noises and hard-to-ignore biases are very common.

The symbol above helps drive the point home. It is a Chinese verb meaning "to listen." It is constructed of four parts: undivided attention, ears, eyes and heart. This is a good reminder that it takes all of these to truly listen.

I'm going to practice listening this week--not just hearing, but really listening to what people say. You might want to try it to! -Steve

"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice." -Prov 12:15

3 comments:

Moriah said...

Very good blog post. You are exactly right. We all need to listen. The main Person we need to listen to is Jesus Christ.
Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Listening...I need to do more of that. :P

Good seeing ya'll last week. I talked too much though. :-)

Rubies&Sapphires said...

Katie, you did not talk too much! :)

Honestly, this post was not directed at you! :D It was simply what I read in my textbook.

Good to hear from you though...we had a lot of fun, too!