Do you sometimes feel like your family members, friends, or co-workers are not listening to what you have to say ?
Feeling ignored is an uncomfortable feeling ; we all rightly expect to be shown respect, and listened to.
If you habitually feel this way, ask yourself if you are making any of these common communication errors :
- Do you speak too softly, or too quickly?
- Do you mumble ?
- Are you talking too much ? Do you often complain, or criticize ?
- Do you yell to get someone’s attention ?
It is important to be able to see the person we are trying to communicate with. Talking to someone from another room is rude, and results in miscommunication. However, this, of course, does not apply in case of emergency.
Perhaps the best course in communication training occurs when one communicates with young children for years. My words were always brief and concise. They still are, since people generally have short attention spans.
At the same time, I always listened carefully to the children. Children who are not carefully listened to, often become adults with poor listening skills.
I also encouraged children, from a young age, not to interrupt others. Interrupting people displays a lack of manners. If someone decides to interrupt me, I just keep talking. Usually people get the message !
Although people may not ‘hear’ us, for a variety of reasons, God always hears us. Whether our prayers are long and eloquent, or whether they are simple pleas for help, God hears the prayers of his children. He loves us, and he hears us. He answers our prayers in his way, and in his perfect timing.
Pictured is ‘Paris’ a seaside Golden Retriever.

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Such wise and insightful advice. Thanks for this great post, Sally π
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Thanks so much for your kind comment. π€π·
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I really enjoyed this post Sally….welcome back….didnt see for a while there….had begun to miss your posts for a while now….hmm….I can definitely relate to this articlenij a few ways…thanks for posting πππππ
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Thanks so much for reading and commenting , Ruelha. And thanks for thinking of me. π€π·
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You’re welcome, Sally….
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Take care π
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Terrific insight, Sally! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us! I have trouble communicating verbally. The conversations and prayers I have in my heart are wonderous and flowy but the minute I open my mouth all that I want to say comes out disjointed, forced, and ridiculous. It has always been this way and it is so frustrating. As you stated so well towards the end of your post…God certainly hears our prayers no matter how we get them out…simple, eloquent, or long. He hears whether we open our mouth and speak, keep our words quiet and in our hearts, and even when we have no idea what to pray, He hears his children! Romans 8:26-27 (ESV):
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Praise be to God for He is good! God bless you, Sally, and I really enjoyed reading your post on communication.
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Thanks so much, Racinda. Thanks for mentioning this important point. When we speak to God, we need no words at all. He knows us so well, he reads our hearts. π€
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My family tend constantly to interrupt when I am telling a story and then say I take too long π
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Derrick this is an interesting comment.
Newfoundland culture is based on storytelling, historically.
It is how families entertained each other, in the days before electricity, or any form of media.
Storytelling is still highly regarded around here, when we have storytelling nights, with ‘master storytellers’. Many tourists attend these events.
It is a beautiful art form, and should be encouraged, as it helps young children develop their listening skills in ways that television cannot. π
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Fascinating – I don’t claim mine to be an art form, though π
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Thank you Sally. Great to hear from you again.
βAt the same time, I always listened carefully to the children. Children who are not carefully listened to, often become adults with poor listening skills.β
Good communication includes listening. Your quote here also applies perfectly to the Lord Jesus.
Blessings to you this day.
Great looking doggie!
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Hi RJ : Great point – Yes, we need to be so careful when listening, and for sure we need to be sensitive to how, and when , the Lord speaks to us. Thanks for reading and commenting. π
Golden Retrievers love water. They have webbed feet.
We named Paris after Paris Hilton. π
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Great post Sally. I remember teaching our kids ” you have two eyes, two ears and only one mouth for a reason.” God bless you sister.
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Hi Alan ! Yes, that sounds very similar to what we used to say too. Blessings to you. π
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I think we all experience that from time to time. Too many people listen to respond, which, of course, is not really listening at all. Interesting post.
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Thanks, Carol, I agree. π·π€
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You’re welcome π
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I can see why experience is said to add weight, and heft, to what one has to say. Such a profound take on seemingly complicated things… Truly mesmerized by what you said π
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Thanks, Mishra ji, nice to hear from you. π€π·
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One of the best post I have read here today. Thank you for this, I of course can strive to listen better…I am working on that.
And your image says it all, I love it.
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Thanks, Pene! Yes, doggies have great expressions, don’t they ? π
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Yes, they do!
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Yes, a good example of how teaching children can often result in their teaching US. π
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Yes, so true ! Jesus recognized this too. Thanks for reading and commenting. π€
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One of my strongest memories from my childhood and teen years is hearing my dad call for me from the other room and knowing that the conversation would not continue until I was physically in his presence. I was not allowed to talk too either of my parents from the other room.
A very helpful post, Sally. As an elementary teacher, I especially appreciate the part about listening to children.
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Thanks so much, David. Your Dad was wise in insisting that your conversations should occur face to face. Thank you for the very valuable work you do in teaching children. π€π·
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One of the most important topics in the world – Listening. Children who are listened to with empathy and mirroring, grow up confident in who they are.
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Absolutely, Patricia. You make an excellent point – if we wish to raise confident children, we must listen to them. This develops patience in us, and more importantly, we learn from the insights of children. π€
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Learning to speak so others will listen and listen so others will speak is a life-long effort! You are so right, “God hears the prayers of his children. He loves us, and he hears us. He answers our prayers in his way,” We need to take our clues from the World’s Greatest Listener and most Eloquent Speaker: Jesus Christ! When He spoke, there were more ears tuned in and hearing than EF Hutton!!
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Jan, this is so profound. Yes, Jesus, for sure , is our model for listening, and for speaking. π·π€
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Communication is harder now. My husband and I keep not hearing each other. He wants white noise when he works (now at home). With white noise I really canβt hear.
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Yes, I agree with you. I wonder why they call it white noise ?πΌπ€
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A very good post Sally. I have done a lot of teaching of children over the years, many from broken and battered homes. I found that listening to them was important. I also noticed that if I listened to them they were more apt to listen to me. Enjoy your weekend!ππΊπ
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Hi Steve ! Thanks for much for sharing this. Children instinctively know when they are being listened to, and yes, this encourages them to listen to others as well. π·π
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Thank God, He listens and speaks to us. I love the picture. Cute dog.
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Thanks, Beverley. π
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Amen Sally β€
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