Monday, May 5, 2008

Creativity Tips: Listening Lessons

Several people have expressed surprise about last Monday's post -- they didn't know I was half-deaf. And that got me to thinking ...

Since I've been half-deaf all my life, and a writer most of my life, I've learned to listen. And it's possible that what I've learned can help you:
  1. Don't answer your phone during meetings. You can pretend to pay attention to two conversations. I can't. I'm glad.
  2. Look at the person who's talking. I lip read. You don't need to do that, but if you watch a person's face, you'll hear more of what they're saying. You'll also hear what they're not saying.
  3. If you miss something, ask people to repeat it. Trust me: They'd rather repeat themselves than be misunderstood.

To sum it up: Focus. You'll hear the difference.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think I have been receiving you daily posting for about three months now. I really enjoy your daily posting, but this one I am moved to reply to. The three points you bring up about listening really made a point with me as I fell that we are more involved with what our reply is going to be than what the other person is saying. Thank you for bring it up. You do not have to be half deaf to be a good listener.
Toddy in St.Pete Fl