Speak Less, (Active) Listen More

I am a firm believer that listening is essential in any interaction. In order to be engaged and prosperous in any interpersonal relationship, listening actively is key. I enjoyed reading Harris’ article over listening in the writing center. Harris’ argument values genuine listeners which is, “Caring about the student’s welfare, being a receptive audience, creating a feeling of closeness” (57). I believe that being a good listener is a skill. Some could believe that this inherently disingenuous because the tutors are not listening how they maybe normally would. However, I would argue that learning how to be a better listener is not insincere because it encourages the tutors to look past themselves and focus on others. Good listening does not come naturally, it’s a learnt skill that must be taught and mastered. We are not born good listeners; instead we learn how to listen in a way that is best for the person who is talking. I think that learning how to listen in such a way would benefit a great portion of the population and would also help tutors at the writing center.