the gift of communication is not only a set…
page 201 the gift of communication is not only a set of reading and writing skills, but also an attitude of listening and understanding, of honoring the communicator for his or her thoughts and attitudes and ideas. Without the gift of communication, our children have no way to express their natural creativity and imagination. Worse yet, they can never really hear what others are saying to them.
— from Communication & Conflict (Communication/Conflict) · 10 greatest gifts I give my children by Steven W. Vannoy
In the book
None of this is mystical: when one person truly listens, the listener's brain activity begins to mirror the speaker's — two nervous systems falling into step. The gift of communication, in the end, is not merely a set of reading and writing skills; it is an attitude — of listening, of understanding, of honoring the other person for their thoughts and feelings and ideas. And it is needed precisely because we are so easily misread: emotions are far less transparent than we assume and are constantly misinterpreted, which is exactly why active listening matters so much. — Communication & Conflict (Communication/Conflict)