Listening takes special concentration. I remember, some time ago, watching some film clips on TV, taken from an unknown management seminar, where one of the speakers was demonstrating how we, as human beings, have become such poor listeners. The speaker, to prove his point, asked the audience to participate in a little exercise that would last about ten seconds or so. This is roughly what he asked them to do: “Would each member of the audience please raise their right hand into the air and in a few seconds when I say, “Now,” put your hand down again and place it on to your right knee.” With that the speaker raised his own hand along with the audience and looked at his watch, nodding slightly, as if counting off the seconds. After about five or six seconds of silence, the speaker lowered his hand and touched his right knee and at the same time, he looked at the audience, raised his eyebrows and nodded for them to do the same. Everyone, bar a handful, followed suit and then two seconds later the speaker concluded the exercise by saying the word, “Now!” – Of the hundred or so people in the audience, every one of them heard the instructions but only about five or six of them actually listened to the instructions! (The speaker asked everyone to lower their hand when he said the word, ‘now’ – not when he nodded at them to do so!) The point was well and truly made! We hear with our ears but to listen we have to concentrate and use our minds as well. You see, hearing is a physical act whereas listening is a mental act.

R. Ian Seymour

R. Ian Seymour, Maximize Your Potential, Chapter 3