MARCH’S INTERNATIONAL LISTENING AWARENESS MONTH
CELEBRATES WHAT PEOPLE DO
MOST OF THEIR WAKING DAY

March marks the global celebration of International Listening Awareness Month, which was started in the late 1990s by the International Listening Association (ILA) as an effort to bring greater attention to the critical role listening plays in all human activity. On average, people engage in listening activities most of their waking day; yet, many people do not realize what it means to be an effective listener.

The key to good listening is self-awareness and then self-improvement. That is exactly what the ILA would like everyone to do during International Listening Awareness Month. Research verifies that almost all of what people know is learned through listening. And although most businesses today place good listening skills among the top traits they look for in prospective employees, few individuals have had any formal training in listening. Without any formal training in listening, studies indicate that the average person listens at a low efficiency level.

Starting in the 1950s, all listening roads led to the University of Minnesota where Dr. Ralph G. Nichols, “The Father of Listening,” was instrumental in bringing the missing “L” back into learning the world over. On August 23-24, 1979, Dr. Nichols’ successor, Dr. Lyman K. “Manny” Steil, hosted a “State-of-the-Art of Listening” symposium at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. Twenty-seven people from eight states with diverse backgrounds ranging from elementary school teacher to business and industry consultant met for the symposium and agreed unanimously in the need for a listening network. This discussion led to the birth of a professional organization whose members are dedicated to learning more about the impact that listening has on all human activity and to sharing that knowledge with others—the ILA. Now in its 29th year, the ILA continues to promote listening awareness through active research and teaching of effective listening skills. ILA promotes International Listening Awareness Month at social, educational, and professional events throughout the world; its membership represents 16 countries, including Canada, Japan, Germany, and the U.S., to name a few.

March was chosen as International Listening Awareness Month because it provides a good lead-in to the annual ILA convention. This year, ILA will host its 29th convention, Listening Lights the Way, March 27-29 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland, Maine.

This year’s Listener of the Year will be revealed at the convention. Past recipients of this award range from former First Lady Barbara Bush to past Tonight Show host Johnny Carson to journalist and author Alex Haley.

Other highlights of the convention include panels and workshops focusing on personal, educational, and professional listening development; book displays; networking opportunities; social events; and a silent auction with proceeds benefitting student scholarships.

For more information on International Listening Awareness Month, the 29th annual convention, and other ILA activities, please visit them on the web at www.listen.org.

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If you’d like more information about this topic, please call Susan Timm or Nanette Johnson-Curiskis, Executive Director, ILA, at 1-877-8-LISTEN or 1-952-594-5697or e-mail Nanette at info@listen.org.

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