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
I never believed the anchorman should be the know-it-all. And I try to communicate that to the audience. While I have some knowledge from my years of experience, what I want to do is walk you through this because we're all walking through this together.
Speech is the voice of the heart.
A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.
I don't know what a softball question is. All I know is I have no agenda. I ask short questions, and I listen to the answer.
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.
Listening well is an exercise of attention and by necessity hard work. It is because they do not realize this or because they are not willing to do the work that most people do not listen well.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.