The revolution in communication technology has caused the tragic demise of listening. Communication today is becoming increasingly a narcissistic obsession about being seen and heard.
The need to be heard is a basic human need. Listening is about acknowledging this need – it doesn’t mean agreeing to or endorsing the speaker’s views.
Listening is the foundation on which trust is built. People who listen without interrupting, dismissing or multitasking, are being respectful and showing they care about what the other person thinks. When practiced consistently, ‘being’ and ‘showing’ builds trust faster than ‘saying’.
A genuine listener asks questions before making up her mind whether to agree or disagree. Engaging a person in dialogue shows the other that you are curious to know more and are sincere in your efforts at understanding a different point of view before agreeing to or rejecting it. People can tell whether their viewpoint has been carefully considered before being rejected or just summarily dismissed.
-- Aparna Muralidhar
