I read a recent blog post from an education writer named Paul LaRue. He talked about impediments to good listening. He listed the following:

• Time frames that cut short dialogue.

• Distractions such as phones, emails, other people, items needing attention at some point.

• Background noises.

• Distance, proximity.

• Method of communication other than in-person that filters out part of the message.

I would add one more to Mr. LaRue’s list: impatience. I think in today’s world, we often just don’t wait for the whole story or message to get through before we make judgments or ask questions.

Our modern technology sometimes makes us so ready for instant notification, that we don’t take time to wait for complete information.

Here’s an example.

Our schools now have the ability to notify about school closings, upcoming events, changes in schedules, or reminders about meetings. We can do this by voice mail, text messages, e-mail, or all three. I’ve noticed that when we send voice messages out, many people do not even bother to listen to the message. They simply look on their phones and see that the school has called or contacted them. Then, without even taking the time to listen to the actual message, they just call the school offices. If they had taken just a minute more to listen to the message, it would have saved them and school office staff more time.

So, impatience, or perhaps nervous curiosity as to why the school is calling, ends up causing more time to be used than it could have saved.

In today’s world of quick sound bites, short messages (where people even shorten the word you to “u”), and folks getting their news from short social media posts, it truly is a challenge to focus and listen.

As I’ve said before in my columns, I applaud any of you who have read this far without checking your devices for messages.

In schools, we are trying to teach listening skills along with everything else students need in order to be successful. As adults, we should model these same expectations. We should pay attention, take our time to hear the whole message, and avoid competing distractions so we learn what the speaker has to say.

It’s not only educational, it’s plain good manners.

 

John Jarpe is the superintendent of Brandywine Community Schools. He can be reached at (269) 684- 7150.