Perhaps one reason for this is that our western culture often privileges the fast-talking, think-on-your feet mode of being. Listening, deeply listening, is a greatly underrated life and school leadership skill. I don’t think I’ve ever consciously prepared to listen.” I know that I spend hours preparing to speak. When people hear these numbers, they often say: “ This is so interesting. Yet, less than five percent of us have ever concentrated on developing our listening skills.
A few hours later we remember only about 10 to 20 percent. Immediately after we hear someone speak, we remember about half of what was said.
This constant change of focus makes it more difficult to listen for any significant length of time. It’s no surprise to note the length of television commercials is usually anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds.