The Zen Of Listening

TV, radio, traffic, telephones, pagers - our minds are bombarded daily by constant noise and clutter. No wonder so many people find it increasingly difficult to listen and comprehend. Simple pieces of information such as names go "in one ear and out the other." Poor listening may have tragic consequences such as the Challenger disaster and the Potomac River crash of 1982, or it can result in smaller tragedies such as lost promotions, stalled marriages, and troubled children. Rebecca Shafir assures us that we can transform every aspect of our lives, simply by relearning how to listen. The Zen of Listening is grounded in the Zen concept of mindfulness, a simple yet profound way of learning how to filter our distractions and be totally in the present. Rather than a list of tricks, this book is an all-encompassing approach allowing you to transform your life. Readers will be amazed at how simply learning to focus intently on a speaker improves the relationship, increases attention span, and helps develop negotiating skills. Learn the great barricades of misunderstanding, find out how to listen to ourselves, discover how to listen under stress, and boost our memory. This is a fun and practical guide filled with simple strategies to use immediately to enjoy our personal and professional lives to the fullest.

The Listening Book is about rediscovering the power of listening as an instrument of self-discovery and personal transformation. By exploring our capacity for listening to sounds and for making music, we can awaken and release our full creative powers. Mathieu offers suggestions and encouragement on many aspects of music-making, and provides playful exercises to help readers appreciate the connection between sound, music, and everyday life.

The benefits of practicing true listening are very real. Through refining our listening skills, we not only understand just what to say; we also understand when not to say anything at all. We become more open, present, and responsive. In turn, we renew the sense of peace within ourselves. And the effects on our romantic, family, and professional relationships are undeniable. In The Wisdom of Listening, award-winning author, teacher, and trainer Dr. Mark Brady and contributors that include Ram Dass and A.H. Almaas, help us to develop the'' listening warrior'' inside us all. Inspiring and easy to follow, the lessons here can transform the ways that we interact with others, whether in a large meeting or in a face-to-face encounter. Listening is almost a lost art; some of us may have forgotten how to do it; some of us may have never quite learned. The Wisdom of Listening gives readers the skills to overcome our culture's tendency towards distraction and reaction, and to be more fully in the world.

Zen Buddhists have long taught that success at any task can be achieved only through a mastery of concentration. The college freshman and business professional alike will appreciate this effective approach to learning made enjoyable.

Listening and Voice is an updated and expanded edition of Don Ihde's groundbreaking 1976 classic in the study of sound. Ranging from the experience of sound through language, music, religion, and silence, clear examples and illustrations take the reader into the important and often overlooked role of the auditory in human life. Ihde's newly added preface, introduction, and chapters extend these sound studies to the technologies of sound, including musical instrumentation, hearing aids, and the new group of scientific technologies which make infra- and ultra-sound available to human experience.

FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.

The perfect gift for fans of The Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges's "The Dude", and anyone who could use more Zen in their lives. Zen Master Bernie Glassman compares Jeff Bridges’s iconic role in The Big Lebowski to a Lamed-Vavnik: one of the men in Jewish mysticism who are “simple and unassuming,” and “so good that on account of them God lets the world go on.” Jeff puts it another way. “The wonderful thing about the Dude is that he’d always rather hug it out than slug it out.” For more than a decade, Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and his Buddhist teacher, renowned Roshi Bernie Glassman, have been close friends. Inspiring and often hilarious, The Dude and the Zen Master captures their freewheeling dialogue and remarkable humanism in a book that reminds us of the importance of doing good in a difficult world.

LISTENING . . . THE KEY TO BECOMING A TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL LEADER The Listening Leader is a practical guide that will inspire school, district, and teacher leaders to make substantive change and increase equitable student outcomes. Rooted in the values of equity, relationships, and listening, this luminous book helps reimagine what is possible in education today. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience in public schools, Shane Safir incorporates hands-on strategies and powerful stories to show us how to leverage one of the most vital tools of leadership: listening. As a Listening Leader you'll feel more confident in these core competencies: Cultivating relationships with stakeholders Addressing equity challenges in your organization Gathering student, staff, and parent perspectives as rich data on improvement Fostering a thriving culture of collaboration and innovation The Listening Leader offers a much-needed leadership model to transform every facet of school life, and most importantly, to shape our schools into equitable places of learning. As Michael Fullan writes in the Foreword, "Read it, act on it, and reap the benefits for all." "This book is a 'must have' for any leader trying to move the needle on equity. Drawing from her lived experience as a principal and leadership coach, Safir offers stories that give insight and practical strategies that get results. It's one you'll keep coming back to." —Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain " The Listening Leader immediately changed the way I interact with students, teachers, families and community members." —Tamara Friedman, assistant principal, Berkeley High School "Shane Safir has written a brilliant book. As engaging as it is informative and as revelatory as it is relevant. It is a must-read for school leaders and those who aspire to lead." —Chris Emdin, associate professor of science education, Teachers College, Columbia University; author of For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya'll too

Quakers have long been respected for their simplicity, integrity, truthfulness, non violence and undestanding of the need for silence. This inspirational little book explores Quaker values and shows how - even if we are not members of the Society of Friends - we can bring Quaker practices and ideals into our everyday lives and relationships with others. Including a fascinating chapter on how to use the tools of Quakerism in a business context, there is also much helpful advice on how to slow down, still the mind and 'let the heart create for us'.

When God speaks, are you really listening? In this compilation of faith-based essays, nationally award-winning journalist and CNN Contributor Roland S. Martin addresses a number of contemporary issues from a spiritual perspective. Honest, forthright and focused, Martin speaks candidly - based on what God has placed in his spirit - about the relevance of faith in everyday life, and how living a life for the Lord can have a positive effect on all aspects of our lives. The topics include: - The real meaning of the prayer of Jabez - Don't just thank God, represent Him - A spiritual lesson from Sex in the City - A spiritual graduation - Showing gratitude for God's blessings - Spiritual mentorship - Rediscovering the "C" in YWCA - Your trial is your testimony - Ordinary people, extraordinary God - Spiritual warfare: Stay prepared for life's battles If you want to be blessed, this is a book that you must get today!