Listening was the act of hearing someone or something with the goal of understanding what was being expressed.
In 2265, while having a meeting in the briefing room with Lee Kelso, Elizabeth Dehner, and Spock, Captain James T. Kirk explained, " It is my duty, whether pleasant or unpleasant, to listen to the reports, observations, even speculations, on any subject that might affect the safety of this vessel, and it's my science officer's duty to see I'm provided with that." (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before")