3 Crucial Concepts About Listening

Posted on February 01, 2023

1. Listening is an activity of your mind, not simply your ears.

"Whoever has ears, let them hear.” - Jesus (Matthew 13:9 NIV)
While the audio portion of the words communicated can be "heard" with our ears, real "listening" requires our minds to be engaged to understand the meaning of those words.

2. Listening requires effort.

It demands serious intention and attention to listen. Really listening to other people involves us managing the noise both inside and outside of us.

3. The goal of listening is understanding.

Real listening should expand our understanding of the other person and their perspective, not reduce them to a label or a category ("Just a..."). However, listening to someone does not mean agreeing with their perspective.

Without real listening, there can be no dialogue.

Without dialogue, there can be no lasting and/or meaningful progress.

For more on this topic, check out:

What Does It Mean To Listen?