Got an idea for a holiday? Send it to us

Submit Now

Listening Awareness Month – March 2024

Listening Awareness Month takes place in March each year. According to the International Listening Association, listening is “the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to spoken or nonverbal messages’.’ Listening is an important communication tool that many people overlook. This should not be the case, because developing good listening skills is not difficult. Good listeners make good communicators and they have a much faster grasp of issues than others. Hearing what others are saying improves the quality of your relationships and makes you more effective at work. Hence, listening is an essential skill.

History of Listening Awareness Month

Why do we listen? We listen to understand, get information, learn new things, and we listen for entertainment. With all of the listening we do in our lives, you’d think we’d be experts. However, studies show that most people only remember about 25% to 50% of what they hear. This means that when you speak with someone, they will only remember about half of what you say. Perhaps even less. This also applies to you. Much of what people say to you will pass through one ear and out the other.

You can only hope that your brain remembers the most important details. The significance of listening awareness is now clear. The International Listening Association (ILA) established Listening Awareness Month in the late 1990s to highlight the importance of listening in our lives. Since its inception in the late 1970s, the ILA has worked to raise awareness of the importance of studying, developing, and teaching effective listening strategies in all settings.

Members of this professional organization represent 16 countries and 38 states, and they are all committed to providing the best listening practices for people all over the world. Every year, more people learn about listening as a result of their efforts during Listening Awareness Month. This includes listening styles, strategies for improving focus and comprehension, and listening depth. In a world where people frequently listen passively while focusing on a screen, awareness of this subject is more important than ever.

Listening Awareness Month timeline

1979
The International Listening Association

The International Listening Association is formed, developing a network of members concerned with the art and science of listening across various fields.

1985
Anderson’s Three Stages of Listening Comprehension

J.R. Anderson suggests that perceptual processing, parsing, and utilization are the three interconnected, recursive processes that explain listening comprehension.

1986
Nagle and Sanders’ Listening Comprehension Model

S.J. Nagle and S.L. Sanders develop the earliest listening comprehension model for adult learners.

1990
The Need for Teaching Listening Skills

Listening has evolved into the parallel processing of input and scholars stress the importance of teaching language listening skills and strategies.

Listening Awareness Month FAQs

How can you listen to someone?

Don’t interrupt, acknowledge what they’ve said, and keep an eye out for nonverbal cues as they speak.

What factors affect good listening?

Grammar, pronunciation, and overall listening time are common factors that affect listening.

How do you overcome listening barriers?

Focus on listening rather than speaking, minimize external distractions and noise, and reflect on what was said instead of deflecting it.

Listening Awareness Month Activities

  1. Study the benefits of listening

    Being a good listener is an underrated but crucial skill. Listening comprehension has many social and cognitive benefits, which you should take the time to learn about during this special holiday.

  2. Practice listening to others

    Listen to every word others have to say and reflect on their meaning before responding. It’s a simple but effective way to celebrate Listening Awareness Month.

  3. Talk to people

    Don’t want to do all the listening? That’s fine. You can talk and have others listen to you. Just make sure it's engaging and the subject is interesting.

5 Interesting Facts About Listening Awareness

  1. You can learn just by listening

    The majority of what we learn throughout our lives comes from listening.

  2. We hear thousands of words every day

    The average person hears around 20,000 to 30,000 words daily.

  3. Humans spend most of their time communicating

    On average, people spend about 70% to 80% of their time communicating through speech, and this figure may be higher for others.

  4. We think faster than we listen

    The average human listens at a rate of about 125 to 250 words per minute but thinks at a rate of about 1,000 to 3,000 words per minute.

  5. Millions of American children have hearing loss

    Three million children in the U.S. suffer from hearing loss.

Why We Love Listening Awareness Month

  1. We gain new insights

    We learn from others when we listen to them. And we can all learn something from someone, whether they are elderly people with decades of life experience or inquisitive children with many questions about the world.

  2. Less noise, more substance

    In a world full of influencers and talking heads spewing an endless stream of information, it's important to recognize the importance of listening. And not just listening, but paying attention to subjects that are important to you. During Listening Awareness Month, we filter out the meaningless noise and focus on substance.

  3. It makes speaking more enjoyable

    You gain a better understanding of people when you are a good listener. You will be a more pleasant person to converse with as a result of this. Listening also improves communication.

Listening Awareness Month dates

YearDateDay
2024March 1Friday
2025March 1Saturday
2026March 1Sunday
2027March 1Monday
2028March 1Wednesday
Festival of Owls Week
Hearing Awareness Week
National Aplastic Anemia & MDS Awareness Week
National Ghostwriters Week
National Invest in Veterans Week
National Will Eisner Week
National Write a Letter of Appreciation Week
North Dakota Winter Show
Universal Human Beings Week
Universal Human Beings Week
Asiatic Fleet Memorial Day
Baba Marta
Baby Sleep Day
Denim Day for Dementia
Endometriosis Awareness Day
Independence Movement Day
International Ideas Month
International Martisor
International Women of Color Day
Mărțișor
National Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Day
National Dadgum That's Good Day
National Day of Unplugging
National Dress in Blue Day
National Employee Appreciation Day
National Fruit Compote Day
National Horse Protection Day
National Hotel Slipper Day
National March First Day
National Minnesota Day
National Peanut Butter Lover's Day
National Pig Day
National Sage Day
National Speech and Debate Education Day
National Texas Stress Day
National Wedding Planning Day
National Welsh Corgi Day
Overseas N.H.S. Workers Day
Peace Corps Day
Plan a Solo Vacation Day
Public Risk Management Awareness Day
Refired Not Retired Day
Self-Injury Awareness Day
Share a Smile Day
St. David's Day
Tsagaan Sar
World Civil Defense Day
World Compliment Day
World Day of Prayer
World Day of Prayer
World Seagrass Day
Yap Day
Zero Discrimination Day
Academy Awards Month
Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month
Alport Syndrome Awareness Month
American Red Cross Month
Berries and Cherries Month
Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month
Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month
Brain Injury Awareness Month
Brain Injury Awareness Month
Colic Awareness Month
Color Therapy Month
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month
Dolphin Awareness Month
Employee Spirit Month
Endometriosis Month
Essential Tremor Awareness Month
Exotic Winter Fruit & Leeks and Green Onions Month
Expanding Girls' Horizons in Science and Engineering Month
Eye Donor Awareness Month
Frozen Food Month
Gardening, Nature and Ecology Books Month
Gender Equality Month
Greek-American Heritage Month
Honor Society Awareness Month
Humorists are Artists Month
International Mirth Month
Irish-American Heritage Month
Listening Awareness Month
Mad for Plaid Month
Malignant Hyperthermia Awareness and Training Month
March Madness
Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal
Mental Retardation Awareness Month
Middle Level Education Month
MS Awareness Month
National Athletic Training Month
National Bed Month (U.K.)
National Breast Implant Awareness Month
National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Celery Month
National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
National Cheerleading Safety Month
National Clean up Your IRS Act Month
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Craft Month
National Credit Education Month
National Crochet Month
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
National Endometriosis Awareness Month
National Ethics Awareness Month
National Flour Month
National Kidney Month
National March Into Literacy Month
National Music in Our Schools Month
National Noodle Month
National Nutrition Month
National Optimism Month
National Peanut Month
National Professional Social Worker's Month
National Reading Month
National Sauce Month
National Umbrella Month
National Women's History Month
NZ Book Month
Play the Recorder Month
Poison Prevention Awareness Month
Read an E-Book Month
Red Cross Month
Save Your Vision Month
Sing With Your Child Month
Small Press Month
Social Work Month
Spiritual Wellness Month
Supply Management Month
The Great Daffodil Appeal
Trisomy Awareness Month
Trisomy Awareness Month
Vascular Anomalies Awareness Month
Veggie Month
Women’s Month (Philippines)
Workplace Eye Wellness Month
Workplace Eye Wellness Month
Youth Art Month

Holidays Straight to Your Inbox

Every day is a holiday!
Receive fresh holidays directly to your inbox.