If you can Hear, use Listening Aids!

"I hear you" doesn't mean "I see you". What does it mean to hear versus listen? Hearing is physical and accidental. Listening is the path to empathy. A Procter & Gamble CEO once shared "Listening Skills" was the most useful training. This was true for me as well.

If you are blessed with hearing, you have a passive, involuntary, physiological ability to perceive sound waves. Listening requires conscious effort and wisdom to properly interpret, understand, and respond to what is heard. Here are a few Listening Aids I recommend:

1. Body Focus. Eyes wide open, mouth closed, and shoulders square. The only thing verbal should be questions for clarity or confirming what is heard. Depending on the situation, mirroring body language is also a way to show engagement.

   
   

2. Golden 3-peat. When someone says their name or an important fact to remember, pause and repeat back 3 different ways. So, for example, I just introduced myself: "Nuri, great to meet you, how do I spell that?" "Cool Nuri, I like your name, does it have a meaning?" "So, Nuri, what are your thoughts on this blog?" Now, you will likely remember Nuri's name because you have logged 3 different memory joggers - spelling, meaning, perspectives on blog.

   
   

3. Patiently Pause. Stephen Covey reminds us in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to "Be Proactive", self-aware, and responsible (able to respond). So, be conscious of the uncontrolled bubbling up of thoughts, responses, and distractions. Instead, know that you can choose to focus on what is being said, study the non-verbals (i.e. body language, facial expressions, tone), and empathize with the speaker. Also, please check out the post from Rachel DeAlto, CSP, JD on the "4 Second Rule" - Power of the Pause.

   
   

Remember, it doesn't matter how big your ears are if you don't know how to listen!

Phuket, Thialand

© Nuri Dimler 2025