Listening and Writing

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

Ernest Hemingway

Listening (for the purpose of providing some form of acknowledgement or emotional relief) is an Art. As an artform, it resembles fiction writing in some very interesting ways. Both use words as their primary vehicle. Just like there are basic skills in writing such as grammar and punctuation, there are basic skills in listening such as asking open-ended questions and paraphrasing. Mediocre fiction distracts the reader from the story at hand. Poor listening prevents the speaker from immersing themselves in their own stories. But among all the similarities, there is one that is most telling: both great stories and great listeners touch us and leave us forever changed.