Tag: Listening

I’m often asked what it is that healthcare chaplains actually do. Sometimes the assumption, even among other hospital disciplines, is that we pray with people, talk about God and occasionally do rituals. Explicitly religious stuff. Most chaplains are trained to handle those tasks, of course, b...

A friend of mine recently had some serious issues within her home. Her daughter, who suffered from a mental illness, was suffering and causing the entire household to suffer along with her. My friend’s daughter was of legal age and was refusing treatment of any kind. She had been fired f...

The heart is the only anatomical organ that has received the honour of maintaining the limelight alongside human beings as their symbolic image. When in love your heart beats, when in despair your heart breaks. Kindness apparently comes from bigger hearts, some claim to have given away their hearts ...

I was on the golf course recently, and suddenly, it hit me. The clouds parted, revealing the brilliant truth —my inconsistency wasn't because of poor technique, lack of practice, or physical limitations. Nope. My inconsistency was because of the noise in my head — the chat...

A few years ago I attended a risk communication workshop conducted by Dr. Vince Covello who was at the time a professor and researcher at Columbia University. He is a widely known author and consultant in the field of communications. The focus of his training was to help plant managers be more skill...

I used to think that I was great. I would be the star of every meeting and every conversation. At one point I started getting feedback that I’m aggressive, dominant, and unwilling to accept other opinions. I was truly surprised and not a bit offended. I didn’t perceive myself as such and...

Lately, I’ve been hearing lots of friends and colleagues talk about slowing down a bit for the summer. If it’s summer where you are, and you have the means, that’s an awesome choice For example, if you’re in the Northeast of the United States of America the peaches are ...

I am listening to İstanbul, intent, my eyes closed: At first there is a gentle breeze And the leaves on the trees Softly sway; Out there, far away, The bells of water-carriers unceasingly ring; I am listening to İstanbul, intent, my eyes closed. I am listening to İstanbul, intent, m...

Upon listening to this song, I have never really felt moved by a song before. Until I was scrolling on social media and came across a snippet of this song. Though it’s clearly depicted as a betrayal in love, I can’t help but overlook the apparent reference to how women are an easy blame ...

I wish I were kidding, and in the past, I would have argued the opposite. For the longest time, listening was something I counted as a skill. I thought that being quiet while others were talking was enough. But listening is more than a politeness tick box. When we give someone our full...

The best way to improve English listening skills is by listening a looooot to spoken English, which is widely available on the internet. Go to YouTube, or open up your Spotify and listen to podcasts. English listening skills are an important part of language learning because English speakers, nat...

This is an entry on English speaking and listening as I promised to write about. I recently came across some methods to improve English listening and speaking: Diversify your listening materials Instead of listening to scripted speeches, try listen to a variety of materials. These incl...

If there’s one takeaway from this 5-minute article, it’s that you are made aware of Yabla Chinese. Yabla is similar to the slow stories on Mandarin Corner, but instead of telling stories or folktales, it focuses mainly on conversations and interviews. You can rewind and slow down wh...