‘Do you know the difference between Listening and Hearing?’, asked my teacher-cum-mentor in a public speaking class. I confidently said, ‘Sir, both are one and the same thing. There is no difference between these two words as such.’ ‘That’s where my dear student lies the problem’, he said. ‘We all, until now, were of the perception that these two words mean the same thing, but today I’m going to bust this myth.’ And from then on, what he explained about the word Listening was truly unbelievable. It left me completely spellbound to know what the word Listening actually means and how it is important in an effective communication.
He explained that hearing is more of a physical kind of thing, whereas Listening is Emotional. One must Listen to understand and not just to reply. A study showed that Communication is only 7% verbal and 93% non-verbal. The non-verbal component was made up of Body Language(55%) and Tone of Voice(38%). It was shocking to know that Listening is not done only through ears, but also through eyes and touch. And this fact was proved true by a girl named Evelyn Glennie. She became deaf at the age of 12. Being profoundly deaf (meaning severely impaired but not completely deaf), this did not deter her from pursuing her passion, i.e. Music. She tried taking admissions in various music classes for learning music but every time people learned of her deafness they rejected her. Fortunately, at one of the classes, she got selected. But now the problem was how she could learn music if she couldn’t listen. And believe me, she could do this exceptionally well by feeling the music through her body. She could perceive every little nuance and the quality of the note just by the level of reverberations she could feel or sense through her body parts. That was the level of dedication she put into pursuing her passion. After years of hard work, she became a great solo percussionist player that won her accolades from all over the world and many awards including, Best Chamber Music Performance in the Grammy Awards of 1989. She truly changed my perception on the way we Listen. Thus, listening is Emotional and one should listen to understand. Many people who can’t even speak can communicate their feelings to others extremely well. Sometimes the eyes of our dear ones can speak louder than words. So who says we can listen only through our ears?
Malcolm Forbes quoted that, ‘The art of conversation lies in Listening’. Have you ever tried listening to your friend who just broke up with his Girlfriend or failed in an exam? Have you felt the tiredness of your mother who had a hectic day at the home, just by listening to her? Have you ever listened to a baby who can’t even utter a word? Have you ever tried to Listen to your Grandfather who has loads of experiences to share with you? Have you ever listened to your teacher whom you met after decades and he/she still remembers you despite being old age? Have you ever listened to a dog sleeping in the middle of a road, taking a sunbath, on an extremely cold winter morning? No! Then, try it once and you will have the experiences of a lifetime.
One fine day, I was sitting on my couch reading a book. Suddenly, my eyes pondered upon the idol of a Laughing Buddha (which is a Chinese folkloric deity, and he is almost always shown laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha) that was kept right in front of me. I bought this just because it looked so happy and would eventually bring a smile on my face whenever I looked at him. That moment, I just stood up out of the comfort of my couch and sat down in front of the idol, just observing silently, listening to what it says. After some brief moments of listening, I could clearly imagine what it must have been saying to me. He said to me that no matter whatever happens in your life always be happy and smiling like me, because I’ve have an extremely large fat tummy that takes away all your sorrows and pains and blesses you with all the good in your life. That day I realized the power of Listening.
If you too want to experience this feeling, try to listen to someone or something, however large or small, real or imaginary, divine or mortal, senseless or useful it is, and do this with utmost curiosity. Because when we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with an intent to reply but we listen to what’s behind the words (Quote). And remember the wise words of Peter Drucker, ‘The most important thing in communication is listening to what isn’t said’.
HAPPY LISTENING.
Serendipity 
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