Let’s play the listening game
Here’s an idea: what if we all listened? As in actually listened. Maybe then we’d get somewhere.
That “somewhere” is apparently WHYY-FM in Philadelphia for one of our writers. Seems she’s keen to take NPR’s Fresh Air studio seat and listen to interesting people all day. Now that we think about it, seems fair.
But here’s something Fresh Air knows that we find particularly appealing: listening is important. We all intellectually know this. But Fresh Air (or so we’ve, ehem, heard) puts it into practice. For one, “good ears” or the ability to listen and understand other is a baseline marker for their hiring process.
For another, they insist on having 3 producers sit in on every interview so that the 3 producers + 1 interviewer (like the renowned Terry Gross) can discuss what each heard during the interview in order to create a 45-minute episode that gets to the truth of the conversation.
Honestly, it’s a lot like the working “jam” sessions we hold here. But it’s interesting to see how others put purposeful listening into practice in their own settings.
But about that listening game…
Everyday, we are immersed in noise. So much noise. Endless ultra processed, unfiltered, passively consumed ruckus that requires very little yet takes so much.
Our challenge as marketers, is how to get a message across such that doesn’t add to the racket all around us. It’s our job – we’d be so bold as to say it’s our modern duty – to create content that adds substance to the world rather than add to the distractions buzzing all around.
Human brains can process 750 words per minute (give or a take), yet most people speak at 150 words per minute. No wonder listening is so hard. Our brains are moving at a much faster pace than our mouths ever could. Something the more mindful among us are well aware of.
One trick to tame the brain is to focus attention on the speaker in the same way a meditator focuses on the breath. A listening game to keep the wandering brain entertained.
Good listeners, of course, are more than hear-ers. They are innately curious. They are comfortable with gray areas and can cope with contradictory ideas. These skills also happen to be the root of creativity. A musing for another day.