Are You Listening‪?‬

Sometimes it feels as though people are speaking in tongues.  How often have you tried to explain to someone in customer service why you are dissatisfied with the product or the service you are receiving only to hear what sounds like another conversation coming out of his or her mouth?


Although we have always heard that you learn more by listening than by speaking and that you have two ears for listening but only one mouth for speaking, people still do more speaking than listening.  How can you get your point across if the other person does all the talking?  And if you are more focused on what you want to say to the other person, it stands to reason that neither of you will understand what is being said.


Did we listen more effectively before we became so immersed in technology?  Were our conversations more meaningful before the advent of cell phones and social media sites?


Over the last couple of decades it has felt as though we are more connected to our gadgets and less connected to the people in our lives.  It has felt as though no one is really listening, and very few really care.  We shouldn't have to end a conversation wondering if the other person was really listening.