The art of listening to ask better questions
Originally published on my mirror profile — josh.mirror.xyz
There is a fantastic quote from Epictetus that spotlights the importance and relevance of being a good listener, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”
The trigger for this bit of writing came from a tweet that surfaced on my feed a few days back. It’s a tweet thread from 2019, that discusses the importance of listening between the lines and connecting with what people are really interested in. It encourages one to further the conversation and gather deeper insights into the persons views through listening to the responses given to questions that are asked of them.
To tune into these micro reactions, might require one to slow down, which can seem counter intuitive, but when you take a step back it often appears to be the most logical thing that can be done to help you learn more about a situation.
The reason that I have described listening as an art is because I see it is as a practice that is continuously being refined and improved on. Much the same as how an artist works continuous on their refining their craft through time. Through listening we are able to attune our senses to areas of a conversation that we may otherwise have simply brushed over or missed. It’s as though we are able to create a different dimension to the interaction by simply opening our ears and being mindful to the speed with which we open our mouths.
Linked to the art of listening and the current state that the world finds itself in, I will leave you with this quote from Ursula K Le Guin. Returning to it tomorrow as it’s something that is very top of mind for me as I look to the future and the role we all have to play in societies evolution.
“Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance. Having choice, we must not act without responsibility.”
