Blah blah blah

I would like to move a motion that children are taught how to listen actively at school. You know. Show that they are really listening by making comments like
so what you are saying is...
how did that make you feel...
can you explain that a bit more...
have I got this right...
can you tell me more...
I thought I heard you say...

Now I know what you will say to this brilliant new plan of mine - that  the education system is full of subjects designed to fix all the problems of society. And you are right of course. Teachers are supposed to teach kids things like sensible eating, safe sex if there is such a thing, how to exercise, how bad drugs are for you, how to treat everyone nicely even those with different skin colour to you etc etc. Topics incidentally that parents should actually be responsible for.

However, it would not take much energy to teach active listening because in the middle of the sex talk teachers  could invite pupils to ask questions like, so what you are really saying is if you ....

Or in the middle of a don't eat junk food session, children could be encouraged to ask each other questions like have I got this right that potato chips are bad for me?

Now you might wonder why I want the people in the world to be better listeners. Well for a start off it might put an end to wars. And for a second off I am really tired of people not listening. I am tired of being in conversations that feel more like a tennis match than two people communicating.

You know the one? I share a story and then just before I have finished and sometimes even before I am finished whammo the conversation ball is hit back to me with them  telling me a story about themselves that my story has reminded them of.

Enough I say.

I want to take part in more conversations where the people I am relating to give the occasional grunt or mmmmm, smile encouraging, ask for clarification or check they have understood me.


I wonder if I should start doing this too?