Listening Trumps Talking

We all listen and talk. But which one are we better at?

Sometimes we don't realize how much we talk. Talking is a means of communicating a variety of things. But listening, requires more work, it seems effortless at times. But when you practice listening it really goes a long way.

We all love to vent, or talk about our current situation in life. We love to talk. Sure it can be casual and the talking among the talkers can be balanced. I'm not saying talking is bad. But only when you allow it, to monopolize everybody's chance to contribute. Which means your not listening.

Listen is harder to perform. You listen to someone intently and sometimes they notice when you doze off. It's like in school. You listen to the teacher and its hard to listen sometimes. It may be there voice, you can't understand them, or you have no interest in the material. Regardless, listening to them is hard, especially for a long period of time.

Some people excel at listening. But why is it, so hard to listen? Perhaps, talking is more of a selfish act, its more about us, when we are talking and not listening. So its easier to talk?

Listening requires earnest attention to who your are hearing out. I feed the homeless every Monday and I've come to learn that they all have stories. They salivate at the chance to tell them. I may hardly say a word during the whole conversation. But me listening to their story is what spoke volumes to them. It shows I care, that I have interest so much so, I sat down and listened.

Listening is a tool we can all use to show we care. Without even saying we care. Listening is the action we can perform to show our love, concern, or understanding of the talker.

So next time a friend comes to vent. Listen. Or when you are catching up with a friend. Listen. Better yet, your at school or at work. Listen

Trust me you're get your time to talk.