Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said listening to understand versus listening to prepare a response is an important skill.
The four-time National Football League MVP shared his philosophy during a three-hour interview with sports podcaster Pat MacAfee. The host of “The Pat MacAfee Show” asked the football star about conversations he’s had recently with other NFL personnel and media.
“Don’t you think conversation is one of the most important things,” MacAfee asked Rodgers.
Rodgers agreed with the podcasters, noting there is a reason people have two ears and one mouth: to hear twice as much as said.
“In order to come together as a country and come together as a people and connect, you have to listen to other people’s opinions,” Rodgers remarked, “and a lot of times, they are opinions you don’t agree with.”
Cheeseheads around the U.S. are very familiar with their QB’s refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. His views were shared with a larger audience when he contracted COVID in November. It seemed like a gotcha moment for many sports fans because they thought Rodgers lied about being vaccinated.
It turns out, he followed a carefully prepared response to a reporter’s question early in the 2021 season. When asked about whether he had been vaccinated, the QB responded, “I’ve been immunized.”
He described his decision-making process and response in detail Saturday during an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.
“I’d been ready the entire time for this question and had thought about how I wanted to answer it,” Rodgers explained. “And I had come to the conclusion I’m gonna say, ‘I’ve been immunized.’ And if there’s a follow-up, then talk about my process. But, [I] thought there’s a possibility that I say ‘I’m immunized,’ maybe they understand what that means, maybe they don’t.”
“Maybe they follow up,” continued Rodgers. “They didn’t follow up. So then I go the season [with] them thinking, some of them, that I was vaccinated.”
The QB informed MacAfee that he was glad he had the opportunity to talk about his attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination, especially with people who disagree with him.
“It’s sparked some incredible conversations with teammates and coaches,” the gridiron great commented. He added it’s important to talk with people who hold different opinions because, even if both still disagree at the end, the other person at least listened to your point of view.
It’s not good to only talk with and listen to people who share the same world view and with whom you almost always agree. That sort of confirmation bias narrows a person’s thinking and is counterproductive because it does not challenge beliefs.
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