Whatever your age, learning to listen is very important. Have you ever been talking to someone and you suddenly realize they are looking at their watch, their eyes are moving or they are shuffling their feet? You know immediately they are not listening to you. Chances are, the person you are talking to isn’t really listening for two reasons – (1) they are not interested or (2) they want to be the one talking. In both instances the listener is rude.
Don’t get caught up in the not listening attitude.
Of course sometimes a person will talk and talk and talk and not say anything. In that case, even though you’re bored to tears, let them finish and then excuse yourself politely.
Most people, though, have something they want to share with you, and by not listening you might miss information you really need to know. For instance, when interviewing for a job, listen before you speak. Let the interviewer do the talking and you will soon learn what they want to hear from you. For those of you in the classroom, your teacher could be giving you instructions that you positively have to have. Other times you might miss an invitation to a concert, or worse yet, a stranger might be telling you that you dropped a twenty dollar bill.
There is an art to listening that you can learn….if you just listen.
“To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.”
John Marshall (1755-1835) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
by Lois Jamieson
Be sure to read these other posts on etiquette and manners:
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