Listening Defined: Making meaning from sound; a mental process of extraction.
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.
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.
Silence: Practicing three minutes of silence each day helps reset auditory awareness.
The Mixer: Identify individual sound channels in a noisy environment, focusing on various sounds.
Savoring: Finding joy in mundane sounds, such as household appliances, appreciating their rhythms.
Listening Positions: Experiment with shifting listening positions to become conscious of different filters and perspectives.
RASA Acronym:
Receive: Pay full attention.
Appreciate: Use affirming sounds.
Summarize: Use phrases like "so" to recap.
Ask: Inquire further to deepen understanding.
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.