"the most important thing in communication is to hear what is not said"?

Question

what did john stuart mill mean?
discuss

Answer 1

To listen between the lines...pick up on things that are nearly said,but are'nt. Damn ! I know what it means,just can't put it into words.

Answer 2

The most important thing is communicating.. and not being stubborn.. pour water to the wine every now and then.. Realize that the most important thing is that you have each-other.. the memories you once shared.. little arguments shouldn't built these walls between people.. It's so sad if you think about it.. people argue about such unimportant thing and let it destroy a relationship that was once so strong.. The most important thing is to just listen.. and keep listening.. respecting one another for the person they are.. their views.. everyone is different, has been raised differently.. that's why they think differently. You just have to be able to understand their point of view.. and if you really know someone, you will "hear" the things that aren't said.. Depending on what it is about, it could be important.. but I wouldn't say it's the most important thing.. the most important thing, for me, is never stop communicating.. because that would mean that you have given up on that person..

Answer 3

Usually, people are staging their conversations. They say things they do not mean - not that they all lie, merely that there are things they would prefer not to tell. Everyone is that way.

Therefore, when we communicate, we ought to observe body language, listen to the inflection in the other person(s) voice(s) because there is where you 'hear' what they are not saying.

Some people twitch, shift, look away - all to avoid saying too much or because they are uncomfortable with the topic or the other person.

The thing is though, it is when they do all these other things or simply not answer a question directly that you know. You must learn to be very observant and look people straight in the eye when communicating. You will get the hang of it.

Answer 4

Non-verbal communication is present within every moment of our lives and interactions with others. Often what people say is not as important as what they've INTENDED to say. A simple and very basic example: you're significant other/ best friend or whomever is sitting next to you looking unhappy, you've already taken note of nonverbal communication by noting their displeased expression and posture, so you ask them "Hey, how are you feeling?" and they respond with "Fine." You are aware they are not feeling "fine", you know this by way of the nonverbal communication they've exhibited that has allowed you to "read between the lines" so perhaps you give them a comforting smile and knowing look that conveys "I know you're not feeling "fine" and if you want to talk about it, I'm here" which is, again, nonverbal communication, but probably means much more to your friend than it would have if you had made the statement outloud, because it gives your friend the chance to come to you when he/she is ready and comfortable.

Consider instances in which you've been mainly a listener in a conversation and what has gone through your mind as you listened to what the other person was saying...More than likely it involved an immense amount of nonverbal communication as you interpreted what was being said as "okay he/she meant this when they said that" or "because he/she feels this way about that, they're implying they feel the same about this over here as well".

Some of the most meaningful messages come by way of nonverbal communication in which you hear what is not said.

Answer 5

I think that he was talking about several different things. When talking to a person face to face, you have several modes of communication - verbal, body language, and tone control. By listening to all of these and understanding the way they compliment each other, one can interpret the words, meaning and intent in the same manner that the speaker intended.

When the telephone or electronic communication comes into play, you miss out on one or two of these complimentary levels of communication. This can lead to misunderstanding and is a prime example of not being able to hear what isn't being said.

Answer 6

If you want to go deeper in relationships it takes deep communication and that's hard. People don't often want to come out and say what's buried down there. So you have to be observent and notice the complete behavior and internal position of the person.

Answer 7

ewww... mill


When I read this I tend to think of body language and facial expressions ... You can learn a lot more about what was actually said from watching someone's face or expressions when they're saying it then the actual words. If they're lying you can usually tell if you watch them carefully, if they're joking you can see it in their eyes... different expressions can reveal different things.

Answer 8

this could some day save your life !