Author Julian Treasure points to a ubiquitous problem: We are losing our ability to listen, which means that we are losing our ability to connect to our world and to understand one another. He offers us five hints for better listening skills:

1. Spend three minutes a day in silence, to reset your ears.
2. In noisy places, focus on how many channels of sound are you listening to?
3. Savoring. Enjoy mundane sounds, like the the sound of machinery–they are “hidden choirs.”
4. Change your listening position to what you are listening to. Active/Passive, or Critical/Empathic.
5. Use the acronym RASA: Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, Ask.