You can’t learn anything when you are talking, only when you are listening. Think, for a minute, about all the meetings the average businessperson participates in each week. Then, try to understand how much we have actually listened to and gained in terms of the time we have spent at these meetings. I am sure this number would be diminishingly low. Learning is less likely to occur unless listening takes place more than speaking. People are often distracted and not invested in the discussion. It is recognized that communication is key, yet the focus often lands on how well we express ourselves rather than how well we listen to others. Research has shown that leaders who are better listeners are more trusted. I am learning this more and more. As a philosopher myself, I turned towards the Classical Period of Philosophy – Plato’s Philosophy of Listening.

Plato’s Philosophy of Listening

So, what is Plato’s Philosophy of Listening? The philosophy of listening is explored throughout Plato’s Dialogues, especially in The Republic and The Symposium. In his book, The Republic, the dialogue between Sophist Thrasymachus and Socrates reveals that the topic of listening is divided into four categories: (1) the aim of listening; (2) the nature of listening; (3) the role of the listener; and (4) the relation between the listener and the speaker. The beliefs, as they fall into these four categories, have implications for one another and, because they are logically related, constitute a philosophy of listening if taken together.

I came across an educational article Plato’s Philosophy of Listening from by Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon, a faculty member from Northwestern University. To me, Socrates is more popular as a questioner, but in her article, he becomes a listener. It would be interesting to know the philosophy of listening that Socrates must have practiced – the aim of his listening, the nature of it, the role that he played as a listener, and the position that he assumed with respect to speakers. While learning more about Socrates is useful, I aim to use these insights for self-reflection and practical application. 

Discipline of Listening

The critical question is how the discipline of listening translates into effective Data and AI Governance. Too often, Governance initiatives are driven by enthusiasm for building technical capabilities, while tangible business outcomes for stakeholder use cases are ultimately measured by success. This leads to two fundamental questions about listening. First, are we positioning ourselves as disciplined listeners, intent on acquiring knowledge through both initial and ongoing engagement with stakeholders? Second, through active listening, are we not only addressing their questions but also formulating the right new questions that advance clarity and outcomes?

I worked on a large-scale data-centric program in New York where I was responsible for delivering high-quality data for regulatory reporting. Given the complexity of master, reference, and market data, regulatory leaders often struggle to see the real impact of poor data quality. By actively listening to their pain points, expectations, and data needs, I was able to position a data-monitoring solution that delivered meaningful value to their program. This did not happen overnight. It was the result of many conversations in which I took the role of an active listener. Over time, this approach strengthened trust, and the regulatory team became more confident in collaborating with me. It reinforced a simple truth: good listening builds trust—and trust enables influence. Data and AI Governance is a natural space where this kind of listening-led influence can thrive across stakeholders and sponsors.

Sophie Haroutunian-Gordon, in her article, shows that listening can also be interrupted when one hears a challenge to an existing belief – a long-held belief that hadn’t been openly expressed. She has provided evidence of how the interruption occurs: Socrates cannot follow Diotima’s reasoning and therefore cannot understand the relation between what he has heard and the resolution of the question that concerns him. When our listening is interrupted by a challenge to our beliefs, new questions arise..

FM Radio

But then I came across something suggesting that in our conversation, listening means stopping, daring not to have ready-made responses, even when our beliefs are challenged. We all have our own Frenetic Mind (FM Radio), which is active throughout the day, judging, analyzing, and comparing what our senses consume. Active listening is, above all, turning off this FM Radio. This may not be easy to practice in real life, but we can start by simply noticing the interference and how it disrupts active listening.

“ Making a temporary truce with our mental FM Radio is a part of the Zen tradition.”

Listening is like going on a diet of speaking. To keep away from excess and exaggeration when we do speak. If we blend these two philosophies – Plato’s and Zen, we achieve a fine balance of listening and speaking with minimal interruptions, yielding superior results that will clarify our understanding of the subject in the conversation.

Role of A Listener

There’s something more powerful about the role of a listener. A good listener focuses on understanding meaning first, then responds based on that understanding. This is exactly where Data Governance shows its value. While working as an advocate for an Enterprise Data Governance program at a large insurance company, our team had a seat in Data Architecture meetings, purely as listeners. When debates arose, we facilitated alignment, helping teams resolve conflicting interpretations and formalize definitions with SMEs. It was fascinating to see how active listening translated into shared business definitions, clearer communication, fewer interruptions, and growing trust across stakeholders. Hence, the use of the business glossary.

I’m not trying to dress philosophy up as fancy words. I’m interested in how it can improve everyday conversations, meetings, and dialogues.

“ By clearly defining the roles of speaker and listener, we can keep discussions focused, engaging, and low on interruptions. ”

In a good conversation, the active listener listens with intent – engaged enough to form or resolve questions and reason about meaning. In turn, the active listener signals whether that meaning is clear or not, helping the speaker adjust and move the conversation forward.