Most of what I know about listening, I learned by being quiet while someone else was talking.

When we sit down with a senior for an Echoes conversation, the first few minutes are small talk. The real story starts later, usually after a pause. A pause that most of us rush to fill. The trick is to let it stay.

Pauses are part of the story

Mr. James once went silent for almost half a minute while thinking about his father. When he began again, he said what he had never told anyone. I am grateful I kept my mouth shut.

What listening gives back

People are rarely asked about their lives with real interest. When they are, they remember details they had forgotten and give advice they did not know they had. Listening is a gift to the speaker — and, more often than not, to the listener too.

Know someone whose story deserves to be heard? Share it with us.