Listening Is a Choice

A friend of mine admits he’s a terrible listener. His words, not mine. He says his brain runs a million miles an hour, he interrupts, he jumps topics like he's on a pogo stick. And honestly… he's not wrong.

But here’s the twist: we went to an event with a great speaker—funny, compelling, told stories that really stuck—and this same friend? Locked in. Not just present, but later, he replayed those stories back to me. He remembered the message, the tone, even the punchlines.

So I started noticing something. He listens to podcasts. He listens to music. He listens to audiobooks. So clearly… he can listen.

He just chooses when to listen.

And that got me thinking: maybe most of us are the same.

In my workshops, 60–70% of people say the number one thing they want to improve is listening. Not objection handling, not closing. Listening. Being present. Staying focused. Not thinking about their next move while the other person is still talking.

But here’s the hard truth: listening isn’t about ability—it’s about intention. It's a decision we make before the conversation starts.

Especially in sales. If you ask someone their name and forget it two minutes later? That’s not a memory issue. That’s a listening issue. And if you're not listening to a name, you're probably missing the gold later in the conversation.

Listening is a choice. And like any skill, it gets better when you practice it.

Try this:

 Listen to a 60-second news segment or podcast. When it ends, pause and recall the last few lines. Did you actually absorb it? Or did your mind wander halfway through?

Listening isn’t passive. It’s active. It’s a decision you make—and a habit you build.

So this week, choose to listen. Really listen. Start small. Slow down. Focus. And watch what happens. If this is useful - like it, or forward it to someone you care about. hashtag#Listening. hashtag#ListeningSkills

hashtag#ActiveListening hashtag#LeadershipDevelopment

hashtag#CommunicationSkills hashtag#ProfessionalGrowth

hashtag#SelfAwareness