Active Listening
Active Listening Workshop
Aim & Context
What is the aim of the exercise? | This session aims at familiarizing the participants with listening levels and skills and the power it can have. By exploring different types of listening and collectively brainstorming non-verbal and verbal aspects of active listening we prepare for a listening exercise that aims at making participants aware that their listening style and dedication has considerable effects on a conversation and their conversation partner. |
In what context is this exercise useful? | This exercise is useful to support individuals and teams to understand the importance of listening skills and it can be connected as a preparation for the powerful questions exercise, once active listening is required for that exercise. |
Quick facts
Preparation time: 20 min Online / Onsite: Both Workshop time: 1h 20 min Ideal group size: 16/20 (groups of 4) Contact of Workshop Developer: leonie.kummer@student.unisg.ch | Equipment and tools needed:
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Detailed Description of Activity & Method
Please list step by step how the activity should be facilitated
Activity & Format | Time | Instructions | Facilitation Notes |
Check-in and Session Introduction | 10 min |
| Start with answering the check-in question by yourself and then hand the word over to someone else, allowing everyone to share. Nice start for hearing all the voices in the room. |
Topic introduction
| 10 min |
- Explain that you will show today “The 4 levels of listening”. This model is part of the Theory U process, developed by Otto Scharmer from the Presencing Institute at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). According to Otto Scharmer , “Listening is probably the most underrated leadership capacity today, but listening is really at the source of all great leadership. When we see leadership failures, and today we have many opportunities to see that, very often at the source of these failures is a lack of listening. A lack of connection to what is really going on in reality right now.
- Explain the model:
This first level of listening is characterized by when we listen from our habits, from what we already know. We are just reconfirming what we already know, nothing new can come to us, because we just stay in our bubble, not focused or interested on what other people have to say, but maybe more interested on what we will say next. So basically we “download” and project our assumptions into the present situation, hence we also listen to what we already know.The result of this kind of listening is that we only reconfirm our existing opinions and judgements. Now in some situations this can be a very helpful way of attending to the world outside. If we think for instance of an apple, we know from experience that it is a healthy and tasty item to eat, so it saves us time if we can use our previous assumptions about apples so that we don't need to reevaluate every single time if an apple is healthy or potentially poisonous. Nevertheless in human interaction this level of listening blocks us from understanding other perspectives and opening our mind to new possibilities, and makes dialogue and collaboration impossible.
When listening from level two we are starting to open our mind. We notice disconfirming information/data, what the other says start to penetrate our own bubble. We actually focus on what the other person says, that is, we start to pay attention to what is different from how we thought it is. This level of listening is embedded in our scientific paradigm, all good science teaches to pay attention to disconfirming data as it is the source of innovation. The main driver of this kind of listening is curiosity.
Empathic listening is where we start to see the world through another person's eyes. It is only from this level of listening that our center of attention starts to move “outside of us” or beyond what we know. When I engage in downloading, my center of attention is within me, not noticing what is going on outside. Level two is still centered within me, but I am starting to pay attention to what is going on outside and I notice the differences to what I assumed to be true from my own experience. At this level, we see situations through the eyes of others, turning to the other person’s point of view. When practicing empathic listening with an open heart, the center of attention is focused on the experience of the other person(s). In fact, this allows us to gather much more information about the situation than what we might think. When seeing a situation from another person's perspective and experience we may experience feelings and thoughts we would otherwise not have connected with. It is through experiencing those feelings and perspectives that a deeper connection can unfold as the other person will start to feel heard, understood and seen as who he/she is.
- The 4th Level of listening is called Generative. This fourth level of listening is something we don’t usually experience on a daily basis in our interactions with others. The key difference here is that there is something happening with the center of attention. It is no longer located in one specific person, rather the center, or source, from where the listening happens has no specific perspective anymore. It is somewhat “between '' people. It is in these moments when something really new can emerge, as we let go of our own sense of Self and together engage in a conversation where we let come what we don’t yet know, together. It holds space for something new to be born, listening with openness to what is unknown and what wants to emerge. Here we open our will to be changed by the conversation. We start to see reality with fresh eyes, and welcome yet unknown aspects. In generative listening we connect with one another and with an emerging future potential.
| Check the resources list below for learning more and prepare yourself to explain the Levels of Listening Model.
Make sure you have prepared the flipcharts if onsite and if online the slides/miro/google doc to:
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Collective Brainstorm | 10 min |
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miroboard).
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Instructions Exercise | (5 min) |
| Check the next table below in the document for exercise options for an online session. |
Exercise | 15 min |
After 6 minutes, ask the pairs to change the roles (the one talking, now listen and vice-versa).
| Check the next table below in the document for exercise options for an online session. |
Reflection in Pairs | 5 min |
| Check the next table below in the document for exercise options for an online session. |
Group Debrief | 15 min | - Gather participants back in a circle, and facilitate the discussion into the feelings/ sharing/ impressions of the participants.
- You can ask them how their sharing time was; how this exercise made them feel (both roles: listener and speaker), what stood out for them, what were the insights, what they have learned about themselves and about others.
- Don’t forget at the end to ask what were the key take-aways from the session. |
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Check-out | 10 min | - Provide logistical info about the next planned workshop (if any) or any necessary announcement.
- Check-out question: For example, get each person to say what they are leaving with from this session.
- Thanking people for joining and closing the session. | You can provide a document or in your preferred way the opportunity for them to provide feedback from this session. |
Feedforward: Tips for future facilitators
Make sure to prepare yourself beforehand by for example meditating and being ready to give all your attention & empathy to the session. Focus on the present moment, speak slowly and clearly, breathe a lot and smile.
Also try to make it personal and share with your audience your experiences and how listening helped you down the road! |
Resources (Helpful websites or books for further reading)
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