Hearing is physiological. Listening is psychological. We listen to acquire knowledge and receive information. But it is easy to get distracted.
One of the main distractions is how we respond to something we hear. Are we triggered? Are we half-listening while preparing to talk about our agenda? Or are we listening on autopilot?
Jennifer Wolkin says we need to practice noticing our distractibility without judgment. Then try to redirect our attention to the speaker and the words flowing from them. She shares an exercise to strengthen your active listening skills.
Source: Mindful, April 6, 2021. Link.
INSIGHTS: Listening is not a new problem exacerbated by digital technologies. It has been a topic of discussion, investigation and skills development for decades. We found the reference below that was written in 1957. Much of its content is as applicable to listening development today as it was 60 years ago.
Also see: Harvard Business Review, September 1957. Link.
Communication . . . depends more on the spoken word than it does on the written word; and the effectiveness of the spoken word hinges not so much on how people talk as on how they listen.”