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"Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable," David Augsburger once wrote. I agree. The greatest gift you can give someone is your full attention, a gift that is especially precious for its rarity.
From Aristotle on, philosophers have been suggesting that there is a reason we have two ears and one tongue.
I'm not setting myself up as a good listener. Alas, I'm proof that you don't have to be one in order to appreciate one. I come from a Southern-tinged family of raconteurs, with dreadful Tower of Babel habits like interrupting each other's interruptions and talking over others.
When I ask thoughtful people a question, I assume they're not going to answer, or worse, answer for them if they take their time thinking about their reply. What a concept!
I'm trying to do better by modeling great listeners I've known and boning up on listening skills. (Don't worry, I won't ask if what I hear you saying is what you really meant - in other words, shut up while I rephrase your ignorant twaddle.) Some experts...