The Art in Listening!

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A few weeks ago one of my blogs was about “Listen and Learn”. I wanted to re-connect that post.

Recently, I attended a TEDx Edmonton event. TED is about Technology, Entertainment and Design. The theme of the event was “Activating Ideas”. Many interesting speakers took the stage and generally they spoke for less than 20 minutes.

A number of the speakers had a spin on the Arts and Dance, and I must admit they were outside of my normal listening interests. Not a bad thing, just unique and different!

Could there be Art in Listening?

As the event ended I learned a few things about the messages that I heard during the day and more importantly how I reacted to their messages. First of all I gained a different perspective on many topics and I also realized that I actually listened to what was said.

On a professional level I have facilitated many workshops on “Learning to Listen”. I have done this with corporations, but the key components are consistent with my day at the TEDx event.

The Art in Listening includes three dimensions:

Staying Focused
We must mentally prepare to listen.
There is actually an art to staying focused and it is a choice.

Capturing the Message
Take strategic notes (mentally or by writing it down).
What was actually said during a presentation or one-on-one conversation?

Helping the Speaker
Take a breath before you interrupt and put your ego on hold. (listen entirely
to what is being said).

The Art in Listening can occur at an event such as the one I attended or during a one-on-one conversation with your partner, kids, business associates or anyone.

While the message you are hearing may not be anything you want to hear, if you actually see the art in listening the message may mean more when it is finished.

Like a piece of fine art we sometimes we have to understand it before we can appreciate it. The Art in Listening is much the same, but in order to appreciate the message we need to understand it first.

“Connecting the Dots of Life’s Journey”
Mike Mack