Hearing vs. Understanding

The difference seems simple, doesn’t it? You can hear voices and noises all around you and even enjoy the experience. You can also experience what you hear at a deeper level and gain a greater appreciation for it beyond that simple enjoyment.

Those who REALLY step up their game do so by learning a skill called “deep listening”.

That sounds simple too……

To those who AREN’T listening…...

Deep listening is as much about what we DON’T do as it is about what we do.

We don’t enter into a conversation believing that we are experts on the topic……even if we are. Being assured of your own mastery means that you know more than anyone else on the topic and either you need to edify them OR …..they’re just wrong about what they think they know.

It also presumes that there is an end destination to learning and that we have reached that destination. By allowing ourselves to believe that we’ve learned it all, we make ourselves incapable of learning more. Not only that, but we also limit our capacity to assimilate new information, and end our chance of learning new ways in which to USE the information that we HAVE.

Besides that, no one really likes a know- it- all.