Dear Destiny Friends,

Did you know that there is a difference between listening and hearing? Did you know that you can hear someone without listening to them, but you can’t listen to someone without hearing them. It is instructive to note that some of the problems in the world arose due to lack of understanding. Did you know that there can be problem where there’s no problem, and there can be no problem where actually there is a problem? This is because issues between two parties can either be magnified or downplayed depending on how they handle them.

The underlying messages here are attitude and the inherent power of listening. If the parties involved had listened to each other, I strongly believe, the problem wouldn’t have arisen. When you listen to the other party, it gives you the opportunity to understand their pain or point and the message they are trying to convey. It is sad to note that, most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to respond.

The power of listening cannot be overemphasized. For you to respond reasonably to people, you must make a conscious effort not just to hear what people are saying, but to also understand them. When you listen to people, it shows you care about their opinions. Some of the purposes for listening include for appreciation, for comprehension, to show support and for critical analysis.

Listening goes with communication. You can’t communicate well if you don’t listen attentively. In communication, what is important is not just what is been said, as most messages lie in what is not said. When you listen to people, you can see through their body languages. In every sphere of life, one needs good listening skills whether a parent, student, child, employee, entrepreneur or mentee. You need to listen if you are desirous of going far in life.

According to scholars, there are different types of listening:

Deep Listening. Deep listening occurs when you’re committed to understanding the speaker’s perspective. In this case you pay apt attention by listening with your mind, heart and soul

Full Listening. This involves paying close and careful attention to what the speaker is conveying. You have undivided attention because your body is present.

Critical Listening: This deals with understanding what is said and evaluating, judging, and forming an opinion on what you hear. The listener assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the content, agrees or disagrees with the information, and analyzes and synthesizes material.

Therapeutic Listening is a healing form of listening. It comes with a treatment approach which combines sound-based intervention with sensory integrative treatment techniques.

To practice the act of listening, don’t interject, when a respectable person or anyone is speaking. Always allow the person to bare his/her mind and understand their pain point. That makes one feel loved and accepted as it shows you have empathy and care for them. Your ability to listen to people gives you an informed opinion on their thoughts, and how their mindset operate. Our creator, who gave us two ears to listen very well and one month to speak did it for a reason.

In order to understand the inherent power, and secret of listening, just imagine a tree growing without sound, but when it grows into a big tree, it normally falls with a big bang. Symbolically, it means, creation is silent, and but destruction is noisy. That’s why most times, it is advisable to work hard in silence and allow your success to make the noise.

In conclusion, learn to listen more than you talk, and see the resultant effect it will have in your life.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com