John R. Eakin

“When you hear somebody, you are picking up on the ear vibrations that are coming out of their mouth and you are associating these vibrations with certain words which, of course, mean certain things. Simply hearing doesn't necessarily mean that you're listening to somebody. I can hear just fine, but I can choose not to listen. A lot of people can have a great sense of hearing, but don't know how to listen – or choose not to listen. Listening is all about understanding where the other person is coming from, picking out what points they're trying to get across and what those points mean as far as that person's needs go. Effective listening also involves picking up on the emotions or logical flow that a person used to arrive at certain conclusions.”
― Patrick King, Conversation Tactics: Winning Workplace Strategies