ABSTRACT
One of the most powerful actions we can take as teachers, leaders, and parents is to impose less and listen more. Listening fully is an act of respect, admiration, and even love. Genuine listening is not just hearing another’s words and waiting our turn to speak. Oral communication and the ability to work well in a team are the top two qualities employers seek, as well as the top two predictors of success. Becoming an active listener is also about how we learn to process and remember what’s most important in a speaker’s message or a teacher’s lesson. Productive and collaborative talk increases engagement, helps clarify meaning, improves retention of information, shapes and improves thinking capacities, leads to deeper understanding, and results in more enduring learning. Learning how to interact effectively with others may be the most important skill that students develop in school.
