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From: Charlie Osborne
Date: 01 Oct 2007
Time: 13:09:18 -0500
Remote Name: 143.236.35.203
Hi Lynne: I could not agree with you more about the importance of listening. I have tried, as an SLP for quite a while, to improve my listening skills. With regular practice, I feel that I have made some gains. As a young clinician, I felt I knew where a client should end up because of therapy (for example, little to no stuttering most of the time). As I have improved as a listener over time, I think that my therapy has evolved from moving towards the goals I felt were important, to helping each client determine his/her own direction and goals. Active listening has been a hard skill for me to develop. I have often struggled with that inner voice that wants to challenge or debate another person’s view. I have been somewhat successful in putting my perspective on the shelf as I have attempted to understand the speaker’s perspective and as a result, have found therapy to be more fulfilling for my clients as well as for me. For me, being a good listener is a life-long goal! I like the following quote from Wendell Johnson. He said it decades ago, but I think it still rings true today. Thank you for your insightful article! “Good listening is a rare and precious art—and one of the most neglected. As a society and as individuals we simply do not listen.” Wendell Johnson