Great leaders they say, are good listeners. One's ability to listen enables one to keep in touch with one's environment. Listening is a key skill that is essential in our daily lives as humans. It is worthy of note that humans with functioning ears can hear, but not all of them can listen. With listening comes understanding. Listening as a skill goes beyond hearing what was said; it entails paying attention to other non-verbal cues like body languages, demeanor, facial expressions/countenance etc. Thus, it is indeed a professional skill which must be learnt and practiced consciously overtime for one to gain mastery of it. Listening is one of the uncommon skills, maybe because people aren't aware that it is an actual skill to be acquired or they think that they are good listeners by virtue of hearing.

I am not yet a good listener and I hope to attain a certain level of mastery because it will help me not only in life, but also in medical practice. Many homes are in chaos currently not because there is no love, but they lack understanding which comes with listening, no one is listening! I've watched my parents engage in hot arguments and the aftermath lasted for days but when they sit down to resolve the issue, it boils down to a misunderstanding at some point because one party failed to listen. I've also come to realize that women loathe bad listeners and I wouldn't want to lose the love of my life because I lack the ability to listen. Teachers who are good listeners would know when and how to approach their students in order to make the best out of them; they can easily spot their students' strengths and weaknesses. It goes on and on, the impact of a good listening ability in the society cannot be overemphasized. It is one virtue I love about the elderly; they can patiently listen to an issue for hours but when they profer solutions, it is mind-blowing. The ability to listen keeps you in control to a greater extent beyond others lacking the ability.

In my professional sphere, listening is key. Being a medical doctor entails being available all the time to all who need you. One won't make a good medical doctor if one cannot listen well. Most times, patients do not disclose all the information you need to make accurate diagnosis or the patient would just want to be alone without saying it maybe because family members are around. These situations require good listening ability for an accurate decision to be made. When a doctor can listen well, it gives the patients a sense of safety and also enables the doctor make accurate decisions concerning a patient's condition; thus, good listening is a powerful diagnostic skill in the medical field. In other to serve humanity, one must first learn what humanity needs. I took a particular doctor as my favourite from childhood not because he plays with me a lot nor because he buys me gifts but because he can decipher what I needed even before I voiced them. How he does that, I dont know but I sure loved it.

As a medical student, I was part of an outreach program to a community. That was when I first felt the need to become a good listener. We went bearing gifts and also organized free medical check ups for the inhabitants especially the elderly. I literally saw these people leav their lives in the hands of the doctors amomg us and trusting that they'd resolve whatever issue they had. Hot perspiration ran down my spine and my feet went cold but I stood strong. I stood beside one of the doctors as he clerked the patients and it dawned on me that I needed the ability to listen. There was no room for a single mistake, every bit of information they disclosed was of utmost importance, ranging from the time they had their breakfast, how often they slept etc.

Apparently, I am writing so many exams currently. The workload in school sometime becomes overwhelming that we lose track of time and our environment fades away. I believe the ability to listen well comes with experience and age. The older we get, the more exposed we are and the better our senses. Our brain especially the cortex also develops properly with age which makes reasoning more acute. Thus, time is the only factor preventing me from gaining mastery of the listening skill