I speak and speak, [...] but the listener retains only the words he is expecting. [...] It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the importance of the listener's perception in understanding a message.
In this quote, Marco Polo emphasizes that effective communication isn't solely about the speaker's delivery but is equally dependent on the listener's expectations and interpretation. He suggests that the listener's preconceived notions dictate how the spoken words are received, indicating that true comprehension goes beyond mere sound to involve active engagement and openness to new ideas.
In practice
In a podcast discussion about effective communication.
I believe it was God's will that we should come back, so that men might know the things that are in the world, since, as we have said in the first chapter of this book, no other man, Christian or Saracen, Mongol or pagan, has explored so much of the world as Messer Marco, son of Messer Niccolo Polo, great and noble citizen of the city of Venice.
I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed
So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener.
There is a silence that matches our best possibilities when we have learned to listen to others. We can master the art of being quiet in order to be able to hear clearly what others are saying. . . . We need to cut off the garbled static of our own preoccupations to give to people who want our quiet attention.
In nonviolent communication, no matter what words others may use to express themselves, we simply listen for their observations, feelings, needs, and requests. Then we may wish to reflect back, paraphrasing what we have understood. We stay with empathy, allowing others the opportunity to fully express themselves before we turn our attention to solutions or requests for relief.
I never took any elocution lessons, no diction lessons. I might have been a pretty decent broadcaster if I had, but what you see, I'm afraid, is what you get.
In true dialogue, both sides are willing to change.
There is only one excuse for a speaker's asking the attention of his audience: he must have either truth or entertainment for them.
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