Is it Harder to LISTEN than to TALK?

Imagine what this world would be if every one listened. Listen to what if no one spoke!!. There has to be a balance between the two and also there is a time when one has to speak and when one has to listen. Even if one is seeking advice it is a dialogue. There however are situations when one listens when one should be speaking and vice versa indeed bad state of affairs

talk less and listen more...

Other way around for me. I can easily listen to what's being said but I find it harder to speak, listening as never been an issue but I'm fairly shy & reserved. I find people generally come to me to vent and something for advice but more so to vent than they for my advice because sometimes I just don't know what to say.

I do both. I listen to what my friend has to say, so that I know whether to give advice or just a hug. A lot of times I spend my talking time either giving advice or asking questions to lead them to their own answers. Or I'm giving encouragement, depending on the situation. I don't think its hard to do either. :)

Well, I'm not entirely sure. But as I am one who hates giving advices to friends, especially if I don't know the whole story that lead to the problem. So, I find myself just listening, being a sympathetic ear, i guess.

yup, 100% right. really It's harder to listen than to talk. I am a mother of two children, my son is 4 years old now, he is in the kindergarten. Everyday he talks about his activities in his school, he asks about his friends, his teachers, etc and he always says, "Mum, listen to me!" when I do other thing and he feels I don't pay attention him again. But I try to give him my times, so I can enjoy to listen whatever he says although sometimes I think I'm bored. But I'm happy to see him happy too.

I would always listen to my friend, if s/he approaches me and would render him/her the best possible advice. I won't starting narrating my own miseries or experiences related to his problem, instead of bailing him/her out of the situation. I would comfort and counsel him in the best possible manner.

As a therapist, I have always had to listen because listening is a big part of my work, but I got to admit that this was something I had to learn to do, as a discipline because I am by nature a very talkative person. However, listening is not the only skill that is needed here, as giving advice etc. is also needed, so there has to be a balance. These same skills I have learned have also helped me in my relationships with friends and family. _Derek

I think I can do either, depending on the circumstances. I think that I might tend to be a talker too often and wonder if it is from being so terribly shy for so long, that I am letting it out more as I get older?! I think that I am a good listener and have had friends tell me, quite often, that they feel better having talked to me. So I must do okay as a listener.

I'd like to think that I am able to do both, depending on the friend and the situation. Some people really just need to vent out, someone to listen. But there are also those who actually want to hear your thoughts on the matter, in which case it would be appropriate to also do some talking. I think that if you don't know the person all that well yet he/she chooses to confide in you, it's more of listening that you can do. But if you really know the other person, you also have more to say. :)

I don't talk a lot so it is easy for me to listen. If someone asks my advice or opinion I will give it. Sometimes all a friend needs is someone to listen to his or her problems. If I am the one with the problem it helps to just vent. Or if your friend is having problems, it takes your mind off yours if you listen to hers.

Experience has taught me to balance both: listening and talking. In my kind of work as charity worker I've counseled people with different needs. Some need real practical advice, some need to hear encouraging words, and some need someone to just listen to their heart stories. I've learned how to discern their needs so I have to listen carefully and know when to come in and start talking. Yes, I agree with you on the value of listening. For natural talkers, it takes practice and maturity to learn how to listen.

Listening makes you stretch your patience also. So i say listening is more hard than talk and give advice. To listen to somebody who has been telling you totally the same problem over and over without having to learn the lessons or advices given to by friends could be frustrating...

well, I tend to keep silent first, and to watch if the person really wants a respond or not. so until the person asked me what he / she should do or if I had any opinion, I usually kept silent and just listened to what the person said. because based on my experience, some friends (especially those who wanted to talk about what they had been going through) just wanted to talk and talk, they just wanted to be heard, wanted to relieve the tension they had. some of them didn't really want any advice, because they actually knew what they had to do, but they wanted someone else told them "I support you."

Basically I am talkative and talk in loud For this reason many times my friends and my husband, my best friend criticized me. But I have a good habits for this I have been appreciated that is my listening habit. When a friend comes to me for my suggestion I quietly listen her problems. After the end of her talking I asked necessary question very politely and at the end I express my opinion.

I'm a listener and it's very simple for. I really never have much to say and I don't like to bore people with my life. Many people come to me when they need someone to talk to because they say I'm a very dependable person. I really believe that as a listener it shows someone that you care for them and abut their situations. Though I will admit that sometimes I get annoyed after I listen to someone and they don't give me time to input my thoughts.

I actually prefer listening to talking because I know I'm helping just by listening but I'm almost afraid of talking and saying the wrong thing.

depends on how the friend act: if my friend approach me, i'll listen then after he/she is finished pouring out everything i'll talk, but only if they'll permit me to talk, because sometimes people just want to talk and talk and talk about everything, they're beign comforted by just listening to their whine. if my friend didn't approach me and i saw him/her that he/she seems down, i'll sit beside him/her and wait for him/her to talk if they sighed, i'll ask why, if they just sit there and do nothing, i hug them. it really depends on who you're comforting.

Im a listener but i wish could be a talker. the Silent gesture of care and consideration just doesnt help anyone, anything. You just sit there, cant even give the person's talking to me a good pair of advice or make them laugh with jokes!!!

Frankly speaking, I am not a good listener although I have tried my best to accept the advice from my friends and family. Yes, it seems that many people around us are GOOD at talking, but most of them have no interest in listening. That is to say, most of us tend to let others accept their own ideas but they don't want to accept the thoughts from others, even if the advice is really useful to their future.