Sunday, March 11, 2012

Our Most Used Skill, but the Most Belittled

Listening is the most undervalued human skill. As a society, we often believe that listening is an involuntary human ability, like blinking or breathing. However, that is anything but true.

We learn early on how to speak, write, and how to read. But have you ever had any formal training in listening? Most have not. This is compelling as there are studies that reveal we listen more than we write, talk, and read combined!


My interest in the study of listening was spurred in my Effective Listening course at St. Cloud State University. It is in that class where I learned that listening effectively is rather difficult and is a voluntary skill (I will elaborate more on this in a future post).

 “How many of you in this room registered for this class to earn an easy A?” asked my instructor, “And how many of you scoffed at the idea that St. Cloud State University offered a class devoted to the study of listening?” In my case, the latter question was somewhat accurate. 

When I registered for the course on Effective Listening, my parents asked, “Is that really a class?” Yes, it is. And how much I have gained from this class took me by surprise. In this blog, I will cover several areas that I learned in my listening class, interview experts and students.

So, why does listening matter? What is the importance of effective listening? Are we good listeners; and how do we become one? All these questions and more will be answered in this blog, Listen Up!

Nick

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