We’ve gotten very good at talking.
Podcasts, newsletters, posts, threads, shorts, the output is relentless.
Everyone has something to say and the means to say it.
The listening, though.
That’s quietly disappearing.
I don’t mean sitting politely while someone else talks.
I mean actually absorbing what another person is telling you, letting it land, sitting with it, not rushing to form a response before they’ve finished.
Real listening is difficult because it requires you to suspend yourself for a moment.
Your opinion, your experience, your version of events — all of it has to wait.
That’s uncomfortable. Especially when you think you already know the answer.
And often, you do know the answer. Sometimes you don’t. The only way to find out which situation you’re in is to actually listen.
The people I’ve learned the most from weren’t necessarily the ones who talked the most. They were the ones who seemed genuinely curious about what was being said.
That curiosity is a skill. And like most skills, it atrophies without practice.
Cameron Blewett is an independent writer and publisher. He helps professionals and organisations turn complex ideas into clear, authoritative writing through Dark Quill Agency. His work spans projects including GreyBeardedVegan.blog, ItsAllAbout.coffee and VeganStoic.com.