When you think of listening, what comes to mind? Maybe you see yourself pausing with your mouth shut while someone rambles on. You want to speak, but you try very hard to be polite. Maybe sometime in the near future, this person will shut up. Then you can speak your piece. After all, that is what is really important.
It makes little difference what the person speaks of. He or she may be mentioning knife sets. Maybe they are talking about ecology. Deep down inside, many people care little about anything but themselves. They are more concerned with what they have to say.
In most cases, it may not be this extreme. However, most people are guilty of this more often than they think. This type of behavior can be destructive for several reasons. Here are just a few of them.
Better learning
Learning is a process that works best when you listen. When the mouth is open, it somehow shuts off the ears. The mouth should be shut to improve learning. Besides, when you speak, you are relating things that you already know. There is no new knowledge entering your head.
Learning opportunities
You need to provide yourself with the best educational opportunities available. Stop thinking of your needs for several moments. Clear your thoughts. Take this time to maximize your learning. Think of it as preparing a large meal. It is time to make the salad. Do you use cheap chopping and cutting tools? It would be best to use something like a Henckels knife set. In this way, you increase your chance for success.
An open mouth and a closed mind are very cheap listening tools. You will get cheap results. Clearing the mind and concentrating are good, quality tools for listening. You will get quality results, once you form the habit.
Impression
Nothing impresses more than a captive audience. When someone listens intently to you, it is very flattering. Are you interested in impressing the opposite sex? Listen to everything that they have to say.
Final thoughts
You can learn a great deal by listening. You may first have to change your method. Listening does not involve waiting for your turn to speak. You must clear your mind and take in what is spoken. This gives you the best listening tools available. It is the difference between cheap knives and an expensive knife block set. The better tools you have, the more effective it will be. Do you wish to impress the opposite sex? Become their captive audience. Few things impress more than that.


