The Art Of Listening

"The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent” “The most basic of all human

needs is the need to understand and be understood. Listen means to communicate to the

speaker that he or she is being heard – very carefully. The speaker should gain the

confidence that the information that is being provided by him or her is being taken at a real

face value and not as any false claim or recommendation.

Being a part of Gavel Club of Aundh, I have developed a core strength of listening to the

speakers, evaluators, role players and most importantly to the executive committee. Every

one contributes in their own way and makes me gain new perspective to every topic that is

being handled. Being a good listener should break the barriers of different languages,

cultures and attitudes. The most important standpoint of a good listener is to stop our own

filters which we keep alive while hearing another person. In this way, we can stop being

judgmental or may avoid having expectations from the speaker. In most situations, the

listener also listens according to his or her emotional status at the given moment. Example of

a student –teacher relationship where a two way communication helps to bring out the

students point of view in a group discussion. The teacher understands how well a topic is

perceived by the students because of their attentive listening and the students gain

assurance with a great teaching style portrayed by the teacher.

Ever wondered how good listener is captured by the speaker?

The intonation of the speaker assists the listener to recognize the pattern of sounds

received. Thereby, captivating the listener’s attention. For example, the name being called

out. Here the vocal variation identifies, the meaning of the sound or the tone in which the

name was being called out. Similarly, the listener is always attentive towards speeches with

great voice modulation instead of a baritone or monotonous pitch. The listening skill is not

only enhanced to receiving useful information, but also exploring different angles to a

developed mindset. Every individual has read, understood, analyzed and then created a view

of a given topic. To change this programmed idea would require an excellent speaker with

enchanting craft to break a set pattern of thought. It`s a win-win situation after all, where both

earn to master at a given topic. The words of writer Julian Treasure stand true to this

situation where she says that everyone`s listening is unique.

To summarize the art of listening, I would like to put forward a few tips and tricks about being

a good listener.

Listen – not to speak but to understand what the speaker wants to bring forward.

Intention – of listening is to portray the act of a friend, guide or audience.

Silent – listening brings out the best possible solutions and food for thought before

speaking.

Tap the filters- to avoid selective or biased listening.

Emotions – of a listener should not be mixed with that of a speaker.

Non-stop process- listening is an active process and so, we become responsible for

our own listening.

The most basic lesson taught since childhood was that we should listen to our elders,

parents and teachers. My journey so far has been improving as I learn to speak well

only because I learn to listen more.