On the Two Sides of Communicating...

I just watched/listened to a TED talk given by Julian Treasure on "5 ways to listen better".

Take a few moments to "listen" to it, if you will....

The "filters" that Mr. Treasure includes in the presentation remind me of personal bias' that we have when we filter any information - written/heard/seen.  And how it is important to remember to at least try to see outside of where we are/have been in order to communicate better. 

Listening is an important skill, that although it is listed as a "soft" skill in most job requirements, it is more often than not, a "hard" skill to acquire.

The speaker used the acronym "RASA" (you will have to listen to the talk in order to hear where that comes from) to give tips for better listening skills.

I wish the talk had been more in depth, lasted longer...  For many years, I have had the routine of taking time out for silence.  It is something that scares so many people these days, but it is something that was so natural not too many decades ago. It is something I need to have to face the day.  It brings me balance.

To clear the brain of noise, to "hear" what is naturally occuring around you, can help to not only allow better listening, but better appreciation for hearing.

I also caught up on another blog I often read, Metacool, one post that particularly caught my eye was titled "Effective storytelling, a countermeasure against complexity".

Together the posts made me think about things that are a value to me, that make me think about humanity and communication in "deeper" ways. 

Storytellers have always fascinated me.  As a young person, I always loved power outages.  While the adults may have not liked thinking about the meat thawing out in their freezers, I loved that fact that folks were just not as distracted as they generally are.  The adults would start to tell "stories" to get past the silence.  It was wonderful.  I remember such things as if they were burned in my soul.

I have met other storytellers along the road, and no matter what is going on around me at the time, I indeed will listen intently.  They are a rare breed, few and far between, perhaps because the world is so "noisy" today.

Both of these subjects combined have made me think of the two sides of communication... the speaking and the listening... and they have made me think of what I can improve on in my own self.