‘I Love to Listen Day’
CELEBRATED EVERY YEAR ON MAY 16th
I Love to Listen Day on May 16th, 2025!
In 2025, we proudly celebrate the 20th anniversary of I Love to Listen Day, a global event dedicated to fostering the power of listening in our homes, schools, and communities. Since its inception, individuals from numerous countries have embraced this day, reinforcing the vital role listening plays in building understanding and connection.
This year, we honor our theme, Listening Garden, by cultivating listening legacies worldwide. A special gathering will take place at the University of Maryland’s Listening Garden in College Park, Maryland, where participants will engage in reflective listening practices, interactive activities, and celebrations of listening excellence.
Over the past 20 years, I Love to Listen Day has received official recognition through Listening Proclamations from esteemed leaders, including:
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- The Governor General of Jamaica
- The Mayors of Washington, D.C., and Bowie, Maryland
- Senator Glenn Ivy’s representative in the U.S. Congress
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A Message from the Founder
Marva Shand-McIntosh, the visionary behind I Love to Listen Day, emphasizes:
“I Love to Listen Day is not a day of silence but the premiere listening day that creates awareness for the power of listening. We Grow Listeners.”
How You Can Participate
✅ Planting seeds of listening in homes, workplaces, and communities.
✅ Creating and sharing personal or collective listening pledges.
✅ Organizing listening circles and discussions on the impact of deep listening.
✅ Promoting listening activities in schools, worship, and public spaces.
✅ Sharing your listening moments on social media using #WeGrowListeners #ListeningGarden
Let’s grow listeners together!
Today I Will Listen
Embark on a transformative journey with “Today I Will Listen,” a journal curated by the remarkable Marva Shand-McIntosh, a true changemaker and visionary in the realm of communication.
Inside this journal – Today, I Will Listen: A Journal for Reflection, Inspiration, and Growth – you will find a listening poem, a collection of original listening quotes, and The Listening Affirmation.
These listening prompts are designed to encourage and inspire you as you explore your listening journey. The quotes can also be used to start meaningful conversations about listening. There’s plenty of space in the journal for your creativity and to mark your unique listening discoveries as they unfold.
Listening Tools
Listening can feel challenging at times especially when you are starting from scratch. Here are a few tools to help you enhance your listening skills
Listening
Activities
Listening
CHallenge
Listening
Poem
Listening
Proverbs
About I Love to Listen Day
I Love to Listen Day was established in 2005 by Marva Shand McIntosh, who emphasized that this is not a day of silence. Instead, it is an opportunity to commit to building a culture where listening is a core value. Let’s take this chance to reflect on how we can improve our listening skills, be present with one another, and create meaningful connections in our personal and professional lives.
Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear from someone whose life has been changed by just the awareness of listening.
A call to listen is a call to action.
Let’s celebrate Listening!
Cheers!!!
Stories of I Love to Listen Day
Dr. S Lam-Phoon, Director, Northern Asia-Pacific Division, Republic of Korea
“Thank you Marva for all that you are doing to help “Advance Listening Around the World.”
Dr. Lynman K. (Manny) Steil, CEO of International Listening Leadership Institute.
Monkou from Maryland
We did celebrate “I Love to Listen Day” in my class at Florida Gulf Coast University
Dr. Maria Roca, President, International Listening Association