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We spend all our time teaching reading and writing. We spend absolutely no time at all, in most schools, teaching either speaking or, more importantly still, listening.
Julian Treasure
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the lack of focus on speaking and listening skills in education, despite their importance.

Julian Treasure's quote highlights a significant gap in the traditional education system, where the emphasis is predominantly placed on reading and writing skills. He argues that while literacy is essential, equally vital are speaking and listening, which are often overlooked in school curricula. This lack of attention to oral communication skills may hinder students' ability to effectively express themselves and engage with others in meaningful ways.

Themes

EducationListeningSpeakingCommunicationSkills

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about improving education, one could quote this to advocate for better communication skills training.

More from Julian Treasure

The need to be right can arise from a fear of being disrespected. Or it may come out of the fear of being seen as we really are: as flawed human beings who are perfectly imperfect and full of contradictions and confusions.
Julian TreasureRead
You can't truly listen to someone and do anything else at the same time.
Julian TreasureRead
The human voice: It's the instrument we all play. It's the most powerful sound in the world, probably. It's the only one that can start a war or say 'I love you.' And yet many people have the experience that when they speak, people don't listen to them.
Julian TreasureRead
Intention is very important in sound, in listening. When I married my wife, I promised her I would listen to her every day as if for the first time. Now that's something I fall short of on a daily basis.
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Just three minutes a day of silence is a wonderful exercise to reset your ears and to recalibrate so that you can hear the quiet again. If you can't get absolute silence, go for quiet; that's absolutely fine.
Julian TreasureRead
People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years, they have learnt when the birds sing, they are safe; it's when birds stop singing that people need to worry.
Julian TreasureRead

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