There are plenty of people who like to do all of the talking and aren’t all that interested in doing much of the listening, which truly reflects them being concerned much more about themself, or the belief that what they have to say matters more, than what the other person might have to say. No doubt, there are those situations, in which one person, such as a teacher, a mentor, or a parent, should be doing most of the talking so that they can communicate important information, but in regular conversations or what should be conversations, it is going to be a healthier environment if each person truthfully believes that the other has listened to what they have so had to say. Indeed, perhaps one of the reasons why so many people are so enamored over their pets is the fact that pets can’t actually have much of a conversation with us, but instead must be the ones that pretty much do all of the listening, all of the time.
The art of communication is certainly an art and those who respect that art, are the same people who make it their point to see that in their communications with others, the other has their fair say. Of course, there are going to be those times when we are so excited about some particular event, which represents something of high importance, that we are going to just tell our story, with the sole expectation that the other person just needs to listen. While that is indeed understandable, it has to be said, that far too often, there are those people that simply believe that everything that they have to say, always is of high importance, when in actuality, that is seldom the case. Still, we must learn to listen to one another, because those who feel that they have been discounted, ignored, or trivialized, are prone to want to have their say in some other way, perhaps by spending less time with us as friends, or perhaps striking back at us through behavioral actions which are meant to draw attention to themselves.
So too, it is important that we meaningfully listen to the other, as opposed to half-listening, as in when we are, for instance, planning out what we are going to say when it becomes again to be our turn. Indeed, while we may always have a strong tendency to believe that what we have to say is of more importance, it isn’t considerate though to not provide the space and give the time to hear the other person out, for that is our fair obligation to them. After all, the same consideration that we desire to be given to us, we owe it to the other, because good communication skills necessitate reciprocity. That is why each of us needs to consciously understand that when we listen well, we can empathize better with the other, because we are doing our part to understand them from the perspective that they are coming from, and when we do that, not only is it appreciated, but we learn more about the other because we are now truly listening to them.