Use The “Third Ear” I like to teach people to listen with their 'third ear'. This means hearing the feelings, even when not clearly stated or mentioned. “The air conditioning broke…” says nothing of how she felt about it. The 'third ear' hears frustration and then puts words to that feeling. Even a groan would communicate understanding here. “Our dog died,” includes no overt cry of distress, and yet everyone can guess about the sadness there and emit an appropriate, “Ooo