I just bought a book from Amazon titled How to Speak How to Listen by Mortimer Adler. Adler was also the coauthor of the popular classic, How to Read a Book.
How to Speak How to Listen is a relatively short book on the art of speaking, listening, and basic conversation. We are all aware of, or so I hope, books that teach on public speaking. This book does that, but even beyond that. It takes the reader into a realm marked with candor unlike any I have ever seen.
It starts out by defining the different types of communication, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It touches on their similarities and also differences. Then the book covers the idea of speaking and listening found in simple, normal, everyday two-way conversation. We learned in school about reading and writing, and a pinch of public speaking. However, no where did we (in the main) learn how to listen. This book will help anyone who is in the business of communicating with others (including but not limited to parents, teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, construction workers, etc...).
At any rate, I stongly recommend this book. It is an essential item to have for any library.
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