Business Thoughts, Favorite Quotes, Life thoughts, Rants and Observations

silence speak

——-

“… you make yourself void.

You become silence.

You become more silent than the silence around you.

And then something extraordinary happens: you hear silence speak.”

―

Edmond Jabès

===

Listening.

Listening is hard.

Don’t let anyone try and convince you otherwise.

It takes a certain internal fortitude to be a great listener. It takes character to be silent as things, and words, you may not agree with swirl around you nipping at your own opinions and thoughts.

It is very very difficult to listen without bias or to listen without already formulating your own next words.

===

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

–

Stephen Covey

===

Good listeners don’t pounce on individual words nor do they slice into your sentences talking you’re your next words and thoughts.

They let you actually finish.

They permit the thought to get out not to be lost or altered in its formulation from your lips.

They allow you to keep going … even after you have finished. And sometimes they sneak in a question to remind you that you are actually not finished.

They allow silence to speak.

They permit words that are lost to be found.

And in finding these hidden words sometimes they find new thoughts of their own. They can see the world through someone else’s eyes … and see things a little differently.

See … that is the amazing thing … if you let them … that is what words do.

Words help you see things … differently … more clearly … with colors or in stark black and white.

Maybe that is why you should listen … you become a discoverer.

An explorer.

Instead of presenting to people what you have already found … you revel in the discovery of something uncovered from another.

Ah.

Such little words ‘to’ and ‘from’ are … and yet … with regard to listening … they can make a world of difference.

Anyway.

Let me end with his fabulous thought on why we should all listen:

“So many words get lost.

They leave the mouth and lose their courage, wandering aimlessly until they are swept into the gutter like dead leaves.

On rainy days, you can hear their chorus rushing past:

IwasabeautifulgirlPleasedon’tgoItoobelievemybodyismadeofglass-I’veneverlovedanyoneIthinkofmyselfasfunnyForgiveme ….”

–

Nicole Krauss

What a wonderful thought in there … a great listener gives words their courage.

I struggle to find a greater compliment in the world.

Anyway.

In general I believe we are becoming worse at listening … in business <for sure> and Life <somewhat>.

In business we seem to be teaching rushing from one thing to another like organized chickens with our proverbial heads cut off. That translates into less real listening and a focus on ‘effective communication’ <which kind of implies ‘listen to me’>. what kind of future leaders do we believe we are developing if we are not teaching them the value of being a good listener.

And in Life?

Well.

I don’t know that we are actually worse.

I am just not sure we are actually taking the time to do it. As we rush from one thing on our to-do list to another it is <without any judgment> difficult to be a great listener. Therefore … not only is great listening difficult … the environment is not conducive to being a listener.

I know we can fix the business issue if we want to.

We just have to want to.

Life?

Well.

We just have to do the best we can … try a little harder. Listen a little more … and a little more closely.

Let silence speak every once in a while.

And, well, make sure words do not get lost.

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August 22, 2013 by Bruce

Written by Bruce

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