International Day of Listening

What a great skill to celebrate, and to celebrate on an international scale. think of all the historical tragedies that could have been avoided if listening was better … wars, assassinations and massacres could have been, I’d like to believe, totally avoided if those involved with influencing the outcome had listened. 

It’s not just our history either, I read last week of the tragedy at Earnst and Young in Sydney (Australia) with the finding of a dead employee who had complained of bullying and racism. I see two parts to this dire situation: listening and action: some may listen but fail to act (for any number of reasons).

This coming Saturday – 17th September – is the International Day of Listening, and while everyday should be a day of listening, it’s cool to acknowledge listening as we would, I suspect, agree it is a powerful, essential skill for everyone.

What will you do this week to improve listening in your workplace?

This could be a powerful theme for a team check-in. 

Play a few listening games to make it a positive experience while reinforcing the value of listening. Here’s a few to consider:

• A blindfolded walk where one has to listen to the guide.
• What’s that jingle or tag line – people have to guess the ad, product or even song from a few words. 
• Who said it? – famous movie lines that others have to guess who was the actor or character that said it and from what movie.
• Draw this – one person describes the item while others have to draw it from listening to the descriptions … this one would probably be a hit online given how many people avoid putting their cameras on!

What will you do to help strengthen your own listening skills?

Here’s one tip: Slow it down – the more you rush around from task to task, from problem spot fire to problem spot fire the less space and pace you give yourself to listen be present and then have more information for better decision making.

I love the quote attributed to Corrina Thurston, professional wildlife artist, speaker and writer:

And, if you need someone to listen to you, reach out!

I appreciate you