Lecture Notes on Listening by Peter van de Ven

Key Statistics on Listening

• Listening Time: We spend roughly 60% of our communication time listening.
• Retention Rate: We only retain about 25% of what we hear.

Definition of Listening

• Listening: Process of making meaning from sound.
• Techniques Used:
  • Pattern Recognition: Identifying familiar sounds (e.g., recognizing names).
  • Differencing: Noticing changes in sound; ignoring constant noise.
  • Filters: Unconscious filters that determine what we pay attention to.

Importance of Intention in Listening

• Intention shapes our experience of listening.
• Example: Listening to a partner as if for the first time.

Sound's Role in Awareness

• Sound gives awareness of space and time.
  • Reverberation: Helps understand the size of a room and presence of others.
  • Time Flow: Listening connects past experiences to future expectations.

The Decline of Listening

• Reasons for Decline:
  • Invention of recording technologies (writing, audio, video) reduced focus on careful listening.
  • Increased noise in daily life makes listening tiring; reliance on headphones isolates individuals.
  • Impatience for sound bites over deep conversation.
  • Media saturation requires louder sounds to capture attention.

Consequences of Poor Listening

• Loss of understanding and connection among individuals.
• Scary Implications: A world where effective listening is diminishing is dangerous.

Exercises to Improve Listening

1. Silence

• Spend 3 minutes a day in silence to recalibrate your listening ability.

2. Mixer Exercise

• Identify different sound channels in noisy environments (e.g., coffee bar).

3. Savoring Mundane Sounds

• Find joy in ordinary sounds (e.g., the sound of a dryer).

4. Listening Positions

• Adjust your listening filters based on the context of what you're listening to.

5. RASA Acronym

• Receive: Pay attention.
• Appreciate: Respond with acknowledgment (e.g., nodding).
• Summarize: Use the word "so" to summarize.
• Ask: Follow up with questions.

The Need for Teaching Listening

• Listening should be taught as a skill in schools to enhance conscious listening.
• Urges the TED community to promote listening education.

Conclusion

• Listening is essential for connection, understanding, and peace.
• Encouraged to take action towards teaching listening in schools.