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Get Your Ears On, Keep the Foot Out

  I was thinking today about listening… and more specifically about learning to “listen well”.  My friend Roger Anthony often said, “We’ve been given 2 ears and only 1 mouth and we should use them in that same proportion by listening at least twice as much as we speak.”

I read a quote the other day that said something to the efffect of “Intelligence may speak, but wisdom listens.” 

In the animal kingdom the ability and skill of listening well is key to survival…but to predator and prey.  I can think some speciies of animals that are naturally blind but none that are deaf. (Though I suspect a few of you will e-mail immediately to let me know what I am ignorant of )  The blind animals even more so than those that can see, rely on their highy developed listening skills to survive. 

I think we can all take a lesson from them and increase our chances for professional and personal survival and success by learning better to listen…and as Dr. Covey taught so well….seeking first to understand, then to be understood.

mouth-with-foot.jpg

Nearly every time in my life that I have put my foot in my mouth might have easiliy been avoided if my ear was there instead.

As a professional speake,r or a professional person, learning to speak well is important.  But learning to listen is vital.  Learning to listen is a matter of survival and is a definate determinate of success. 

Today I will not only listen more… Today I will listen better.

Kirk, keeping the foot out!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 10:24 am and is filed under T4D. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Get Your Ears On, Keep the Foot Out”

  1. Dr. Paul Says:
    March 3rd, 2010 at 3:05 pm

    Kirk - it doesn’t surprise me that you know Roger Anthony, when you head out on a journey you start to encounter and run into people who are heading the same direction - just keep moving!

    Your thought today is consistent also with what Larry Gelwix taught his Highland Rugby team (as featured in the movie “Forever Strong”) - to Listen Right.

    Keep up the great work!

  2. Daniel Burns Says:
    March 3rd, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    Great points… one of the hardest axes to sharpen this one as we can be so keen to tell everyone what we know. I’ve heard a professional speaker also quip on this point that…

    “Not only are there two ears and one mouth, but the mouth has a flap on it… maybe sometimes it’s a good idea to use it! But the ears don’t, they’re just stuck back there, always ready”.

    Oh and whilst Dr Covey may have taught that lesson well, I think I’d prefer to consider the greater teacher of that lesson was the bloke who uttered it first… Jesus ;-)

    Thanks for your great thoughts Kirk.

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