The Art of Listening

 

 

 

 

 

One of my sacred activisms involves learning how to become a better listener.
I participated in a Living Room Conversation and realized  there was something profound in the process that was created to talk about important topics. Wanting to understand how to duplicate the experience in every day conversation, I discovered that although I was listening with intention to connect I actually did not have effective listening skills.

How are your listening skills?

There are different ways to listen and we can choose how we invest our intention to listen. We can also fall into old habits with those we know and care about. Next time you sit down with your loved one, notice how present or distracted you are. Are you listening with open ears or is a part of you thinking, “I’ve heard this before.” Our listening may change with the speaker and the situation, but imagination how the world would change, if we gave each other our full presence to witness what was being felt and expressed.

Which mode/s of listening (listed below) are you in when you listen to:

Your best friend ____  Your partner or spouse ____  Your children ____

Your teacher or boss ____  Your peers ____  Yourself ____

All about Me – Listening from old habits and judgements, supporting/defending my point of view; focus on me, many of the above habits.
Listening to the Outside – Focus on facts, differences, evaluating date, mental realm.
Listening for Possibility – Focus on other’s feelings and experience; curiosity about what is being said.
Deep Listening – Connected with source, being fully present for understanding with an open heart, trusting in self and the experience of the other. Sensing what is being said or not said, body language, feelings and needs. You become a catalyst to allow the other to access their essence.