We may listen but do we actually hear? asks Entrepreneur, Carole Spiers
In our every day lives, we may assume that what we have said has been actually heard, and we take it for granted that it is the case. Unfortunately, many times it is not. Either because the other person was not concentrating – they were looking at their computer screen, their Blackberry or just distracted elsewhere. So we make the assumption, ‘I speak – you listen – you retain – you have heard me’.
Not so. I speak. You ostensibly listen but you don’t necessarily concentrate and you certainly do not retain the conversation because you didn’t really hear what I said. Think how many misunderstandings have taken place, over the years, due entirely to an unintentional disconnect between speaker and listener.