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(20) 5 ways to listen better | Julian Treasure | TED

Understanding Listening

  • Listening Defined: Making meaning from sound; a mental process of extraction.

Challenges of Modern Listening

  • Retention Statistics: People retain only 25% of what they hear, indicating a widespread listening deficit.

  • Noise Pollution: The increasing noise in our environment makes focused listening more difficult.

  • Technology's Role: Advances in recording (writing, audio, video) have diminished the need for precise listening.

  • Impatience in Communication: A shift from oratory to sound bites, with conversation giving way to personal broadcasting.

  • Desensitization: Media's need to capture attention leads to oversensitization, making it harder to pay attention to subtle sounds.

The Importance of Conscious Listening

  • Listening Connected to Understanding: Conscious listening fosters understanding, and a lack of it creates a disconnection in society.

  • The Scary Scenario: A world where people do not listen to each other leads to misunderstanding and conflict.

Exercises to Improve Listening Skills

  1. Silence: Practicing three minutes of silence each day helps reset auditory awareness.

  2. The Mixer: Identify individual sound channels in a noisy environment, focusing on various sounds.

  3. Savoring: Finding joy in mundane sounds, such as household appliances, appreciating their rhythms.

  4. Listening Positions: Experiment with shifting listening positions to become conscious of different filters and perspectives.

  5. RASA Acronym:

    • Receive: Pay full attention.

    • Appreciate: Use affirming sounds.

    • Summarize: Use phrases like "so" to recap.

    • Ask: Inquire further to deepen understanding.

Final Thoughts on Listening

  • The Role of Sound: Sound is essential for experiencing the world fully and connecting with others.

  • Teach Listening as a Skill: Advocating for listening to be taught in schools to improve societal connections and understanding.

  • Call to Action: The TED community is invited to promote and implement listening education to transform society into one of conscious listeners.