Is Anyone Listening?--Beth Trissel

Do you sometimes feel you're shouting into the wind? How do you make yourself heard? Here are some excellent quotes. If these don't work, I suggest barking loudly as that gains a response from our dogs. Although, in their defense, once I get them calmed down the dogs make excellent listeners and hang on my every word as if it really matters. And that may be the key. Listening works best when it's reciprocal. With some individuals, that ain't ever gonna happen. Am I a good listener? Are you? Well, I can be...

"It’s a rare person who wants to hear what he doesn't want to hear." ~Dick Cavett

(Dogs don't want to hear what they don't want to hear either)

"Many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request." ~ Phillip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

"Effective questioning brings insight, which fuels curiosity, which cultivates wisdom." ~ Chip Bell

"The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them." ~ Ralph Nichols

"Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen." ~Ambrose Bierce

(Cats may not look like their listening, but little gets by them. They are, however, easily bored.)

"The best time to hold your tongue is the time you feel you must say something or bust." ~ Josh Billings

"An actor’s a guy who if you ain’t talkin’ about him, ain’t listening." ~ Marlon Brando

"I’ll defend to the death your right to say that, but I never said I’d listen to it!" ~ Tom Galloway

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."~ Ernest Hemingway

(Ducks are friendly and very conversational)

Thus far, all of these insights are from men. In fact, almost the entire collection I found are male quotes. Perhaps men have a greater need to be heard, or maybe they lack the art of communication that comes more naturally to women. Here's a good one from the female perspective.

"I think the one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention." ~ Diane Sawyer

And another successful woman says:

"To learn through listening, practice it naively and actively. Naively means that you listen openly, ready to learn something, as opposed to listening defensively, ready to rebut. Listening actively means you acknowledge what you heard and act accordingly." ~Betsy Sanders, Former Senior Vice President & General Manager Nordstrom

***To truly be heard, you may need a good dog.
“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. For after all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog.”  ~Charles M. Schulz