"I'm Hearing" VS. "I'm Listening"

 Although often times they are confused and treated like they are the same thing there is a distinct difference between hearing and listening. It is difficult for some to quickly understand the specific difference between the two because they are closely related.

When put on the spot about ignoring someone or not being attentive to what is being said some people will respond with "I'm hearing you." When people respond with "I'm hearing you" it confirms that in fact they were not listening because when we hear things it does not necessarily mean that we've actually made a meaning or sense of what was heard. Hearing is an unconscious, autonomic bodily function that occurs when the ears sense and receive the sounds and noises around it. When a person responds with "I'm hearing you" when they were actively listening it's because they are making the classic error of confusing hearing for listening.

The response we should all be given and what we should be expecting to hear is "I'm listening to you." When a person is listening that means they've gone beyond the scope of just letting their ears receive the words that was spoken. Listening is the conscious effort to interpret, process and understand what the ear is hearing. When we listen to each other we begin to decode the actual message beneath what is being said. Opposed to hearing which leaves room for sounds, noises and sometimes useful information to go in one ear and out the other.