We live in an avalanche of sound. Words fly at us from all directions—the radio, TV, podcasts, blogs—and everyone is eager to share their opinion. We wrestle with interior noise, the constant static of our own thoughts, plans, worries, hopes, and regrets buzzing in our ears. Amid all this sound, it can be hard to listen. It can be hard to really hear what another human being is trying to say to us. So often, we give others only one ear, half-absorbing their words as our attention is carried away on the stream of our own thoughts or the tide of information from our cell phone.
Yet true listening carries within it a potent power for good. Strong listening abilities have the potential to improve almost every area of our life, from work to family to politics. Good listening reduces misunderstandings, increases connection, shows respect to others, and builds trust. Writer and speaker Simon Sinek went so far as to say that listening is the best way to build trust and common ground with someone, and that has implications for the de-escalation of conflicts at all levels, from the personal to the international. Sinek observed, “Listening is the way to build trust with someone … it is the way to find common ground in oppositions in simple cases of business but in more complicated cases in national politics or in global politics or in war.”
