Good Listeners: A Rare Species

There are people who listen with their ears, and there are people who listen with their hearts. Do you know the difference? Those who listen with their ears are just listeners, while the latter are good listeners.

When you talk to someone, does he or she listen carefully and willingly, or just listen for the sake of having ears? You listen to a lot of things in a day, but you do selective listening. No one consumes all the noise. But one should know what to consume and when to.

Imagine going to a friend to discuss a problem, but instead of listening to you completely, your friend starts giving advice. How would you feel? Are you going to take that advice? Of course not. You would want to walk away. You would feel unheard. You would not feel understood.

In that moment, it feels less like support and more like being talked over. Your friend may mean well, but what you needed wasn’t a solution or a lecture. You wanted to be listened to. You wanted someone who was all ears.

That kind of person falls under the “rare species” category.

Listening is considered a skill. Ever thought why? Because it makes the other person feel comfortable, feel heard, feel understood—and sometimes, that is enough for someone who just wants to talk their heart out.

This skill is so powerful that it can be applied anywhere—your personal life, your workplace, your relationships. It costs nothing, yet it changes everything.

So next time someone is talking to you, don’t rush to fix things. Just listen with your heart. Sometimes, that is the only help someone truly needs.