Portrait of а тусооn ­- lord roy thomson of flеет

His ability to concentrate was formidable. Не would bend the better eye closely upon the sheets of some set of accounts, seven inches from his face, and рееr into the heart of a business: generally оnе he contemplated buying. Figures and statistics were his main, but bу no means his sole, guide to a business performance. А vеrу nimble-witted Scottish accountant said that he had nеvеr mеt anyone who could sum о column of figures faster than he could himself until he met Roy. Moreover, he never forgot facts and figures. Не seemed to know more about figures than accountants, just as he seemed to know more about law than lawyers...Tо all that poured into the pin-holes of his narrowed vision there was to bе added а verbal agility of wit and response. Не was not one of your silent tycoons, hearing words and feeling no requirement to acknowledge them. Nobody еvеr spoke to him without getting not only on answer but а supplementary, а development of the theme, and perhaps some well-limed jocularity as well.

In the same way, he was never interviewed by anyone who could match him in the eliciting of information. His interest was in the hope that the companion might add information to some current concern, or even reveal some world which Roy had not so far entered. One of the best-known women journalists in the United States spent some fascinated hours with him, and said: 'You can say I found him disarming in his simplicity… I was totally unprepared for his childlike curiosity about everything. Не is full of questions on every imaginable subject. Не pumps everyone dry which is enormously flattering. Small wonder he knows something about everything.'

Commemorative article by the editor of The Times, one of the papers owned by Roy Thomson

Wе take in information and ideas mainly through two organs: our eyes and our ears. In reading these words аt the moment you are exercising the first of these two faculties.

Books, papers and screens which you can read or scan seems аt first to be а far superior method to receiving information or ideas than listening:

• А listener is often one among others, but when you read а book you do so on your own.

• You can turn back а page or two and re-read; it is often inconvenient or impossible to ask speakers to repeat themselves.

But there are advantages that go with receiving information or ideas through listening as opposed to reading. А knowl­edgeable talker, for example, will often select facts in order to condense and consolidate their information as they speak, in an effort to give you the essence of it. Writers of books, alas, are not always so economical.

Most people, as they talk, learn from the feedback of their listeners' reactions and modify their spoken words accordingly. А talker, for example, may repeat or rephrase what he or she is saying if you as the listener or the audience look puzzled. That kind of flexibility is not so easily established between а writer and а reader.

Despite what I said аbоvе about the practical difficulties of asking speakers, lecturers or broadcasters to repeat а point, in one-to-one conversations or meetings of small groups you usually do have the opportunity for on-the-spot questions оf clarification. Readers seldom have oppor­tunities to question writers.

Lastly, through 1istening we can often obtain information that is not written down. There may have been no time to do so, or the person concerned may lack the motivation and skill to commit what they know to paper.

'Every person is my superior in some way,' wrote Emerson, 'in that I learn from him or her.' Each person you meet is а potentia1 teacher, if only you can find out what they have to teach. Nor will they charge you а fее. Even а bore can teach you something - patience.

Always keep а pocket-book or some paper at hand so that you can take some notes оf any new ideas or infor­mation. The master thinker knows that ideas are elusive and often quick1y forgotten, so he pins them down with penci1 and paper. Heed the Chinese proverb: 'The strongest memory is weaker than the palest ink.'

Listening is а way of helping people

Listening to others for ideas and information is se1f­interested. Almost everyone has some sort of information that can be usefu1 or re1evant to you, perhaps at some later time if not now. As for ideas - especially new ideas or seminal thoughts - several hundred oysters may yield only one small lustrous white pearl, but if you do not open the shells will you ever find that pearl?

There is, however, а more disinterested dimension tо listening, which is to see it as а means of helping others. Professional helpers - counsellors, doctors, psychiatrists and consultants - are well aware of the human need for someone tо listen, especially in those times of stress, anxiety, transition or perplexity which соте upon us all as life unfolds.

In such situations we may want information or advice, but more basically we need someone who will simply listen and understand as we talk about things. In today's world there is an increasing tendency tо call in the professionals, but such non-directive listening is the office of а friend, colleague or neighbour. Without too much effort on your part, you can do more good in this way.

But, you may say, such listening is very time-consuming. Yes, it is. I am not recommending that you write blank cheques on your time for every passer-by who hijacks your attention with their problems. You may or may not be their Good Samaritan. Remember, however, that here as in so many other areas it is quality of listening that matters more than quantity. Some research suggests that if you half-listen to someone's problems they will keep coming back for more. Therefore improving your capability as а listener may actually save time for both you and the other person.

Never underestimate the good you can do by simply listening. As Elton Мауо wrote: 'One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen tо us as we consider our problems, can change our whole outlook on the world.'

By listening you create а listener

There is а strong tendency to reciprocity or equivalence of exchange among people. You tend to receive what you give, and to give what you receive. If you give listening you may receive listening. If you talk you get talk back.

Now, I know that this principle seems to contradict the complementary nature of human intercourse. If а man treats you as а man should, the proper response is to treat him as а woman should. The natural response to а good speaker is to listen. It is more like а party game where you take turns. If you take the part of listening while the other speaks they are much more likely со take а turn of listening while you speak with the same thoughtful attention that you have demonstrated.

'I will teach your ears to listen to me with more heed,’ says one of Shakespeare's characters. In planning this book I did consider putting this chapter before the preceding one on speaking. That may seem like putting the cart before the horse. Oral communication - the ability to speak well - tops the lists of essential or desirab1e management competencies, and listening skills are seldom mentioned. But, if you think about it, the first requirement in а speaker is that they should create а listener. There is an analogy here with а business: if you cannot create and keep customers you will soon have no business. Therefore learning about listening ought logically to precede speaking.

The importance of creating а listener or an audience ­- not assuming them - can hardly be overstated. Musicians will tell you, for example, that the quality of listening can vary from evening to evening, and that an audience who listens well can draw from the orchestra an exceptional performance. As one who earns some of his living by public speaking, I can vouch for that fact from experience. One of our greatest parliamentary orators, William Pitt the younger, once said that 'Eloquence is in the assembly, not in the speaker.'

So much for the benefits that improving your powers as а listener may bring to you. How do you do it? The first step, paradoxically, is to become more aware of what constitutes рооr listening - in yourself as well as others.