Hearing is Believing

What can you really hear?

The following is based on actual news events. The details remain accurate however, the name of the location and those involved have been changed. As you read the incident notice the quote from the victim's friend.


Home Invaders Surrender after Standoff
Actual incident date: November 2009

ANYVILLE, USA. -- Three burglars surrendered to Law Enforcement after a home invasion and standoff. Police received a call just before 12:30 p.m. that said there was a home invasion in progress.

Police spokeswoman said a resident of the home was on the phone with a friend and said,
"Don't shoot me."

"That friend could tell by the phone conversation what was going on and notified police,"
said the officer.

A negotiator and SWAT officers were called to the scene.  Upon arrival, police assessed the situation and determined the home was still occupied. One of four men who invaded the home was immediately arrested. The three others remained in the house but surrendered later.

The art of Visual Listening is based on just such an interpretation of human communication. In this instance it helped greatly that the victim and the friend on the telephone were familiar with one another. This is NOT however a requirement to use the techniques of Visual Listening. We discuss in the book, "Don't Look at Me in That Tone of VOICE!", how we all possess a sense of intuition if you will. We discuss how this instinct is primal to all human development. We the all possess an innate ability to read into the sounds of another human their emotional state, even their physical state or body language.

To is easy practice this skill. Next time you record a television program, turn it on and turn your back to the TV screen leaving the volume at a normal level. Then picture in your mind the physicality of the actors, their body language. Try to listen for all of the other sounds present and write down everything you hear. Now check your assumptions by rewinding the program and watch it to see if you were correct.

This is a great exercise and can be repeated often with any number of programs. For a real scenario variation try adding background noise to your location things such as other ongoing conversations.

To better follow the thread of this topic you should buy the book right now! You'll learn more about human communication in the unseen world of the telephone. You will learn about The Art of Visual Listening!

Until next time, listen carefully and think before you speak!