I taught Interpersonal Communication to College Freshmen for 12 years. I’d informally survey each class with the following prompt: “Raise your hand if you believe you’re a good listener.” Often, 80% of the class would raise their hands. If you were in my class, would you raise your hand?
Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality — we invite others into our very being. Listening, a crucial communication skill, seems to be like “good driving” — surveys show that 80% of people believe they’re good drivers. Reality, however, doesn’t bear that out, does it?
As a Certified Professional in Talent Development, one of the 7 capabilities a CPTD must have is Communication. The truth is, and I might be biased here, communication is the skill that determines all other capabilities. It’s a skill we must all develop and enhance each day.
With everything going on around us, let us LISTEN more than we speak. Let us seek DIALOGUE...