Seven Ways to Listen Better

I felt insomia last night, woke up several times, at one, at two, at five, at six, I felt itchy all over my body, maybe I had allergy due to the stress I had accumulated recently. 

I got up at 8 o'clock, not knowing what to do next, maybe I should go to the library, or I should go to the mountains, or just staying at home reading a few books till I could visit the sports center in the afternoon.

It is indeed frustrating to know many new vocabulary while learning a foreign language. Being able to speak Mandarin, Japanese, English, I should feel lucky that I have already known many Korean words comparing with other Korean learners. Still, everytime I encounter a new word, I have the tendency to stop studying. I went to bed to take a recess while listening to the interview from Taipei radio station till 11:15.

I thought I could do without ChatGPT, but I contacted two friends to help me with the story lines of  the popular Manga "Demon Slayer" for the NTNU Mandarin Toastmasters Club meeting tomorrow evening. ChatGPT has helped many people save a lot of time drafting the contents. No wonder many language teachers and script writers are out of job. As AI advance, more people will be out of job in the future.

The DaAn Fitness Center is less crowded this afternoon. I used a couple of weight lifting facilities before I got on the treadmill to run for only 25 minutes, because it was extremely hot today, and I sweated a lot and I didn't run as much as I used to. Then I trained myself weight lifting using other facities before I left the fitness center at 3:30.

I rode my bike with a bag and a box 12 bottles of diabetics drinks to the Bus 918 station across the street from Ciji Hospital. The bag is for Jimmy to pack before discharging from the Acute Ward of Psychiatric Department of New Taipei City Hospital. I arrived at the ward at 5:30 and saw a son bringing food for his mother. He looked sad. And I saw his mother in the ward. I stayed with my brother for 30 minutes and took Bus 918 home. On my way home, I saw the beautiful night scenery outside the bus window.

After dinner, I studied the article again before the on-line english reading from 9:15. All seven members showed up this evening to prove the importance of active listening in communication.

1 

Maintain eye contact

2 

Nod when you agree or understand

3 

Use listening time to listen

4 

Reflect questions back

5 

Don’t interrupt

6 

Respect the speaker’s point of view

7 

Ask probing questions

https://www.toastmasters.org/magazine/magazine-issues/2025/may/7-ways-to-listen-better