Really listening to what people say

People talk all the time. You probably have at least 50 conversations on a typical day, but do you remember what was said?

There’s a difference between hearing and listening, and it’s been a gradual process for me to discern that.

Even before I started writing for the Missourian, I have been trying to be more attentive in conversations about what other people have to say versus what I am going to say. Let’s be honest, people love to talk about themselves. It was a challenge for me to start to listen to what people are actually saying in an everyday conversation. These conversations can be more difficult to remember because I don’t have a pen, paper or a recorder to recall the conversation.

Listening is an important skill than is sometimes overlooked because it’s more passive than being the speaker of a conversation. But listening is the most important part of journalism. Throughout this semester I have learned to be more attentive to what sources are saying and I work off their responses instead of just questions in my notebook. Sources usually don’t have a straight forward answers to questions. They sometimes have an interesting story or an analogy to explain something and I might overlook it if I stay too focused on what answer I expect to hear.

I have now become really attentive about what my sources have to say and how it will help with my story. I think this skill is helpful for my writing and will be a gradual process to help me become a better journalist.