‘Social’ Intelligence: Listen

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I have been having this major problem lately: it seems that some people around me hear me speak but don’t listen to a word that I am saying.

Since times immemorial, I have found such an attitude utterly unacceptable in a social environment.

Yet, regardless of the fact that adopting such a behavioural pattern makes absolutely NO sense whatsoever, many people around me are still doing it as they tend to think that it makes them look ‘cool’ and ‘swag’.

In fact, it makes them so ‘cool’ and ‘swag’ that I tend to run away as soon as I see them because there’s only so much ‘coolness’ and ‘swagness’ I can take...

Let me try to be as specific as I can in pointing out the reasons as to why you should avoid behaving in such a manner.

It gives the person whom you are not listening to the impression that you think nothing of him

That’s right; if someone finds out that you have not been listening to him for the past fifteen minutes, they are immediately left with the impression that you don’t respect them in the least.

It clearly demonstrates to those around you that you are missing the first seven years of your education

Namely, it shows others that you’ve got the manners a two- month old baby orang-utan. Mark my words, there aren’t many people around who are able to tolerate misbehaviour, let alone try to correct it.

It puts people off

So you’ve got this guy standing there, pretending to be talking to people whilst, actually, not listening to a word that they have been saying for the past half hour. Why on Earth would you even CONSIDER speaking to such a person in the future? I’d make a lot more sense to simply ignore him.

It leaves others with the impression that you are a condescending egomaniac

Such behaviour often leads people to conclude that the person who is not listening thinks that he is about fifty- five and a half million times better than those around him. Although I’ve got some ego- issues, I can assure you that even I cannot stand such people.

It makes people repeat themselves

If someone finds out that you have not been listening to him, he will usually repeat what he has previously said a couple of times. Such repetition is bound to annoy both him and those around him.

It makes you look uninterested

We all know what that means- people start thinking that you are apathetic. Pathetic, I can tolerate; apathetic, I cannot stand. People who don’t care about anything or anyone around them are , at least for me, the scariest thing in existence. I personally avoid them at all cost.

It makes you look as to though you are in a world of your own

People are expecting you to be there and then, and not somewhere else, when they are talking to you. Also, if it is a social or business gathering of sorts, no- one would want to build up any, be it personal or business, relationships with you because people are not normally interested in long- distance relationships these days. With you being in your own world and them inhabiting the real world, that’d be a long- distance relationship that would be quite difficult to sustain, even through Skype’s Video Calls.

In the light of the above , then, you should at least TRY to listen to people who are talking to you as it shows a degree of appreciation and respect for the person; this, in turn, can be quite beneficial in developing and fostering any social relationships.

I kindly suggest you listen to my advice; it might save your life one day.