TED Talks Analysis on Listening
Effective communication enhances the productivity and effectiveness of people in all walks of life. Active listening is a prerequisite for effective communication; listening is an active skill that has a relationship with sound, yet none of us has been taught. However, the challenge with listening is that much of what we hear is noise surrounding us all the time. Noise reduces health and quality of life by causing devastating sleep in millions of people, deaths in thousands of people, schizophonia and induces hearing disorders.
Sound Health in Eight Steps
Since noise is a great hindrance to active listening, it is essential to protect ourselves from it to enjoy sound health. This can be achieved through various ways not limited to; protecting ears from noise through either wearing hearing protective gear or blocking your years or wearing quality headphones; listening consciously and befriending silence, among others.
Ways to listen better
Statically, 60% of communication time goes to listening; however, only 25% of what we hear is retained. Therefore, living fully entails listening consciously as conscious listening creates understanding. To achieve this, various parameters should be practised including; silence, filtering what you are listening to, savouring, appropriately choosing listening positions such as, active or passive listening, reductive or expansive listening, and critical versus empathetic listening and many more.
How to speak so that people want to listen
How messages are put forth also affects the effectiveness of communication more importantly, on listening. To attract and maintain the attention of the audience, the speaker should speak expressly where his or her intent is clear to the listeners. In effect of this, powerful speakers should avoid being judgmental, making excuses, negativity, exaggeration, gossip, and too many jargons in their speeches.
“To listen is to grow!”
Sources
TED Talks. Sound Health In Eight Steps. 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELgvDMTKyBE. Accessed 27 Jan 2020.
TED Talks. Five Ways To Listen Better. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSohjlYQI2A. Accessed 27 Jan 2020.
TED Talks. How To Speak So That People Want To Listen. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIho2S0ZahI. Accessed 27 Jan 2020.