Listening Impact

I’m so inured to air travel that I don’t pay much attention to what’s going on around me.  But tonight, in the Minneapolis Airport on my way home from working in NC, I did lift up my head and listened around me.

One man talked on-and-on without pausing, asking a question, or seeming to be in conversation with anyone else.  Nearby, a couple sat next to one another, held hands, and made no other connections.  When he stood up, she scowled and seemed indignant.  He stretched, but didn’t wander as though he knew the limits, beyond which it would not be all right to stray.

Many people were on mobile phones, some talking so loud that anyone who cared to could hear every word of their interactions.  I eavesdropped.  One woman was helping an offspring work through a homework problem.  One woman was gossiping about an errant family member.  One man was berating someone over a business decision.  One man was talking on the phone and poking his nearby wife’s arm to emphasize a point.  And more than one person was talking, typing, and doing yet something else such as filing nails, eating, reading, and putting on makeup, all simultaneously.

I kept on wondering if any one of the people was listening.  If so, what were the indications—laughter, raising or lowering of voices, pauses, or even silence? The one couple didn’t even need to say a word to one another to be able to read intent and expectations.

I’d love to ask each of the people I watched if their interactions were satisfactory and if they felt heard.  Short of that, I looked for positive or negative signs.  But, for the most part, people were blank and went on to whatever was next.

My conclusion is that listening is elusive and hard to describe even though it’s a huge part of our every day.