Both talking and listening are ways to communicate, but which ability is more influential? Psalm demonstrates the human yearning to be heard. The poet kept shouting for being heard, “Listen to my words, Lord. Hear my cry for help, my King. God, you hear my voice – Psalm 5:1-3.” Yet, we seldom listen. Whenever we have a conversation, we love to talk about ourselves than listen to someone else. Even though we may stop talking and listen, we are often not interested in what the other person is saying but simply waiting for our turn to talk. I am not sure if it is our sinful nature, but this “talkative” nature gives us an effective way to be people persons. We usually think talking is a good way to influence people, but listening is a better way to connect people ready to be influenced. A widely-recognized wise man, Dalai Lama, gives us another insight on listening. “When we talk,” he said, “we are only repeating what we have already known. But if we listen, we may learn something new.”