Listening to the Future
On this page 7 headings
Start here You walk into your manager’s room with a great idea. He keeps looking at his watch. How do you feel? Now imagine you are the manager one day. What will you do?
What is “Listening to the Future”?
When people speak — about the past, the present or anything — they are really speaking about what they want. They talk about possibilities and solutions.
Lecture example — the upset boss Your boss is upset with you. You explain why you did what you did. You are not only defending yourself. You are really asking: “Give me a chance. Show me how to do better.”
So Listening to the Future means listening for what the speaker wants and hopes for.
From the slide, Listening to the Future means:
- Listen for what the speaker desires (wants).
- Listen to help the speaker move forward.
- Help the speaker build hope and dreams.
Ask yourself while listening: “What does this person really want from me?”
This is especially important for leaders. Many leaders think they are too busy or too big to listen to employees. But leadership needs a lot of listening.
In one line: Listening to the Future means hearing what the speaker wants and helping them move forward. Exam words: listening to the future, desires, move forward, hope and dreams, leaders.
Don’t look at your watch
The professor says one of the worst things you can do is look at your watch while someone is talking.
If you are busy, say honestly: “I can’t give you full attention now. Please come back at 5 o’clock.” That is far better.
Listening means respect
- When you listen to someone, you show respect.
- Everyone wants to be respected, even more than accepted.
- Listening costs you nothing.
The professor’s tip: invite someone for coffee and just listen. They will think you are one of the best people they know.
Can you listen to three people at once?
Lecture example — the busy doctor The professor took his sick mother to a famous doctor. She had chest pain. The doctor put the stethoscope on her chest. At the same time: - his mobile phone rang, and he talked on it; - another person walked in, and he talked to them too.
Was he listening to the heartbeat, the phone or the visitor? Can anyone listen to three people at the same time?
Listening is very important in every profession:
- doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers
- parents and children
- nations, politicians and opposition parties
- even nature — the environment cannot speak, but we can still “listen” to its distress
Listening leads to understanding. And understanding is what the world needs.
Why don’t people listen? The four filters
When someone speaks, we pass their words through filters. Filters block listening.
| Filter | What it sounds like in your mind |
|---|---|
| 1. Dislike | “I don’t like this person, so I won’t listen.” |
| 2. Cultural difference | “This person is from a culture I’m not fond of.” |
| 3. Bias | “I already know this person is boring / not good.” |
| 4. Different opinion or values | “I don’t agree with him, so I won’t listen.” |
If we remove these filters and see the other person simply as a human being, we can listen without bias — just to understand.
In one line: Dislike, culture, bias and different opinions act as filters that stop us from listening. Exam words: filters, dislike, cultural difference, bias, different opinion, values.
Test yourself: the listening score
Ask people to rate their own listening out of 10. Most say 8, 9 or 9.5.
Then ask them to go home and ask someone who loves them. The answer is often 3 or 4 out of 10!
Ask yourself: Why do we not listen to the people we love? How can listening help my life?
Everyday example Tonight, ask a family member: “Out of 10, how good a listener am I?” Don’t argue with the answer. Just listen. That itself is your first practice.
The professor also recommends watching the extra video given with this lecture.
In one line: We think we listen well, but people close to us often disagree — so keep improving your listening score.