Not Listening Can Have Serious Consequences

"An honest propagandist for any Cause that is, one who honestly studies and figures out the most effective way of putting over his Message, will learn fairly earl that it is not fair to ordinary folks - it just confuse them - to try and make them swallow all the true facts that would be suitable to a higher class of people. And one seemingly small but almighty important point he learns, if he does much speechifying, is that you can win folks to your point of view much better in the evening, when they are tired out from work and not so likely to resist you, than at any other time of day."

The above quote is taken from Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here," a profound novel from a profound writer published in 1935. The plot of this book revolves around the take-over of the United States by a dictator, a fellow who presents himself as a folksy sort who has anything but the interests of the people in mind. Interestingly, he comes to power by ballot rather than any kind of military coup. Voters like his message, easily ignore the warning signs he himself communicates, and, ultimately, turn themselves over to him and all that they believe he represents. Sadly, once in office, it does not take long for American citizens, including his supporters, to learn they have made a terrible mistake. 

If done well, communication can be a powerful weapon. While it can be carried out for reasons that are good, the flip side is its purpose can be just the opposite. Such a reality is all the more reason why listening is such an important part of the communication process. Of course, the sender of messages must do a good job of properly putting across what it is they are saying. At the same, those on the receiving end must be vigilant in terms of paying attention to what is said rather than what it is they want to be hearing. When this does not happen, as Lewis pointed out over 80 years ago, there can be major consequences.