Human beings are losing their ability to listen. Our lives are increasingly noisy and distracting. How can we “hear” better? In this fascinating TED Talk, sound consultant Julian Treasure explains why we have a problem and offers some practical solutions.
Around 60% of our communication time is spent listening, but only 25% is retained. Yet, various factors are undermining our ability to hear and retain. Our ability to record things in writing, video and audio formats has lowered the premium on accurate and careful listening.
Moreover, it is more difficult to listen in 2025, with so many visual and audible stimulants around us. Just walk down the road in a busy city street! To cope, many people retreat into their headphones. However, this just traps us inside tiny sound bubbles – disconnected.
Our culture has taught us to expect things quickly. As a result, we want soundbites, not oratory. These are series issues. Our inability to listen hinders understanding, and this makes for a less peaceful world. Fortunately, Treasure offers some great suggestions for correcting our course.
One idea is simply to practice silence for at least three minutes per day. Another great exercise is to actively identify individual sounds within a noisy environment. In a bustling restaurant, for example, which noises can you hear?
Treasure also offers the idea of “savouring” – trying to find patterns and even musicality in mundane sounds. He gives an amusing example of his washing machine as a waltz, and calls this exercise “finding the hidden choir”.
He concludes with ideas on how to adopt appropriate “listening positions”, playing with the filters we absorb sound. There is also a beautiful acronym based on the Sanskrit word “Rasa”, empowering us to be better at actively listening to the person in front of us.
Would you like to listen better? This TED talk is fascinating, and we commend it. Consider trying Treasure’s listening exercises; we would love to hear your thoughts!
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