The Listening Gap Between Sight and Sound

The truth is there is a gap between sight and hearing,
between visual and auditory, between seeing and believing.
And the fact is that this gap creates a billion dollar
industry. Improving communication has billions of books on
how-tos sitting on shelves and training services galore. And
the topic keeps on selling.

People push themselves to improve their verbal and writing
skills as a prediction to their increased success. How many
have asked the question that Dr. Stephen Covey continually
reminds us to ask, "Is it S.M.A.R.T.?" That is, is it
specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. If
you use SMART as a measurement, the fact is, it doesn't
work. Is great communication achievable and realistic? Is
it SMART?

We want to believe so. We want to hope so. We want so
badly to stand up in front of millions and say something as
wisely as, "I have a dream...." Or simpler, we say
something wise to our children or friends. Yet, have you
ever asked if this was even possible? Martin Luther King
didn't write this speech all by himself and possibly didn't
even create the phrase first. Yet we assume it to be.
Based on our personal growth with sight and sound since nee
we assume we can do it all alone, all by ourselves. Has any
wise communication ever really been written all by one
person? Not usually. There also seems to be at least a
spiritual hand.

Did you know that we see things at 1,086 miles per second
and we hear at 1,100 feet per second? Our culture is
speeding up because it