You have two ears but only one mouth. There is a reason for that - listening.

Jakob Hysek
Dec 26, 2025
2 min read

Drawing of a head with two ears and effect lines around the ears. — You have two ears but only one mouth. There is a reason for that.

Verbring dieses Weihnachten doch nicht einfach nur mit deiner Familie, sondern versuche wirklich da zu sein und zuzuhören!

Hier sind drei Tipps, wie das leichter gelingen kann:

Listen to understand

Most of us listen with one intention only: to find out when they can finally talk again. We are only waiting to get our next point across. A lot of the time, our "response" does not even make sense as a reply to our counterpart.

Only a few really listen, listen with the intent to understand what the other person is trying to say. I challenge you to take a step back and try it this Christmas.

Stay curious, let your counterpart finish their thought and sentence.

Listening starts when you stop plotting your reply.

Focus, really focus

You need to concentrate to really listen.

Put your phone in a different room.

Turn off the TV in the background.

Stay with one person and one conversation, not multiple ones at the same time.

Your attention is a gift. Giving it is free to you and priceless to others.

Be present and curious to see what you might find out.

Listen for emotions

Try to not only listen to the spoken words, but also focus on the message. Concentrate on what comes across besides a "I'm well, thanks." It could be more.

If you are unsure, you can ask. Remember labeling? If you think you caught an emotion, try to name it neutrally by saying "it seems like you are ..." This creates real connection.

Use the holidays to: