Are You Listening?

Smarter by the Minute # 31: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5515)

A number of years ago, our marriage hit a really bumpy spot with a lot of yelling, screaming and distrust. To help sort things out we went to a marriage counselor. I remember the first time we went, it was awkward because neither of us wanted to speak. So Gayle broke the ice by saying, “You want to know the reason we are here? I’ll tell you the REAL reason we are here. It’s because Doug doesn’t listen!” Now when I heard that, I smiled inside, because I knew she was wrong! I tried not to sound smug — which wasn’t easy because I knew I was right. I said, “I listen. I hear every word. I can repeat conversations word for word..” I’ll never forget, the marriage counselor was so wise. He slowly turned his head to me, looked me right in the eyes and said in a soft Southern drawl, “Doug, you may hear every word, but you are not hearing what’s being said.” Bam! That hurt! I worked hard to hear people’s words. Now I was being told that I missed something — namely the meaning of the communication.

That counselor taught me a valuable lesson that improved our marriage — and helped me make a lot of money in business, too. He taught me that there’s more to communication than just words and that feelings are part of communication, too.

Bookmark and Share

Close this Window Bookmark and Share This Page

Save to Browser Favorites / Bookmarks

Email This to a Friend

Copy HTML:

If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006 at 10:06 am and is filed under Podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Are You Listening?

Post a Comment