Hearing vs. Listening and HW2

Today's post are my thoughts on the difference between "hearing" and "listening" and the effect that those two actions have on our HW2 (both personal and communal). The first article to check out is from Rodney Clapp in the 8/24 issue of the Christian Century (www.christiancentury.org) entitled "Hard of Listening". The second article is: http://e-patients.net/archives/2010/09/doctors-say-one-thing-patients-hear-another.html. Both articles reflect on the lack of listening that happens in our interactions.

After 25 years in healthcare, I know first hand about the disconnect between what health care professionals say and what lay people/patients hear. It's fascinating that we have two different words that are often used interchangeably. What is the difference between them? From "Dictionary.com", the difference between the two appears to be action - that is, it takes effort to "listen", where "hear" is a passive process. In fact, we have a redundant term "active listening" to describe an act of feedback to one who is talking. When we say that someone didn't hear me, I guess what we really mean to say is that they weren't listening (something that happens frequently in my house right now with my teenagers).

So, not listening is often a product of a lack of attention to the speaker. This, in my opinion, is most often a product of being distracted. Whether it is due to noise (internal or external or both) or other distractions (e.g., receiving a life-limiting diagnosis) we are not able to listen, thus we don't retain the information presented. Also, the manner and format that the information is presented makes a difference. Checking for understanding and follow-up are therefore important to moving forward. In a seven minute doctor visit, is it any wonder that there are so many poor interactions?

HW2 (health, wellness and wholeness) requires that we do our best to effectively communicate with one another. If something is not clear, or if we realize that we've not heard everything, then it is incumbent upon us as "listeners" to stop the conversation and ask clarifying questions. Likewise, if we are trying to communicate with others, we need to check every so often for understanding. There are significant differences between hearing and listening.

Listening, learning and transforming are the steps to better HW2. Possibilities Journey, Inc., (www.possjrny.org) is there to help this process.

Peace,
Dan