The Lost Art Of Listening

Do you immediately react to your cell phone every time it "dings" with a new text message?

Like me, you may find yourself constantly mitigating multiple interruptions from your phone, while trying to carry on conversations with friends, co-workers, or family members. This happened the other day at a Minnesota Twins game. I took my son to Target Field for his birthday, and before the game, I promised him I'd "silence" my phone. I would be very present as we sat together, just above the dugout for a doubleheader against the White Sox. Around the second inning of the first game, I innocently reached for my phone to take a photo, and noticed five new texts on my screen, waiting to be read.

I took the bait. And, bam. I was lost in my phone for 30 minutes like nothing, while my son watched the game alone.

I am such a loser.

So, I apologized. He was understanding, and I put my phone away until the end of the game.

The lost art of listening. I still struggle with it. Imagine how much more time I would have missed if I had sat next to him and hadn't really listened. I mean, be really be present in his life. Listen to his thoughts, experience his quick wit, and his unique "camera angle" on the game, and his interests.

I think the same holds true in radio. What if we were very present with every caller, each listener, donor, and audience member? What if we truly listened to what our listener say to us at the concerts, radio broadcast booth, and online too? What kind of insights and content would we gather? How would that make us better? Imagine what we could learn!

Ah, the lost art of listening.

My college professor once taught me that listening to others is sometimes hard work, but worth it. It requires the skill of cutting through the noise to listen, even when the person speaking is boring. Perhaps their content is quite valuable and worth spending effort listening and learning from.

When cutting through the clutter, there may be a relatable story, an insight, or something unique to share on your show. I think being "present" and listening to others is a lost art, but one I am working on improving in my own life. And I'm working at it.

Perhaps the better we become at listening, the more effective and fine-tuned our radio stations-and our personalities-will become.