… Real listeners don’t charm, flatter, provoke or interrupt…
They suspend the self and listen.
~ Michael P. Nichols
A pet peeve of mine is when I try to express myself verbally and the listener cuts me off. This happened a couple of nights ago and was explained away with the words: I already know what you’re going to say… you always repeat yourself… you’re going to tell me X, Y and Z. Well guess what? Wrong. That wasn’t what I had planned to say. And I don’t always repeat myself. Similar topic, but that’s not the point. Nichols’ quote also states: ‘Listeners who pretend interest don’t fool us for long—even though they sometimes fool themselves.’ Newsflash: When we feign interest, we appear insincere and self-absorbed. But, when we offer our sincere attention to another, we humbly convey—without words—that they are important to us and what they have to say matters. I have work to do in this area, myself.
Do you feel heard today?
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Always The Write Time Blog 
Jul 30, 2016 @ 16:58:29
Sorry to hear that you weren’t listened to as you had hoped. That is so frustrating to be dismissed like that. It seems like finding people who truly want to and enjoy listening to one another are becoming fewer.
Jul 30, 2016 @ 18:17:10
Thanks, Ann. At times I find myself attempting to grow a thicker skin (I think that’s a requisite for writers anyway), but it’s not always easy. It’s a good lesson for myself, though, a reminder that we were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason: to listen more, speak less.