I'm trying very hard to focus on empathic listening. I think that the best way for me to do this is to "inspect" the things people say to me...to try to look at them from behind. What's behind the words? Regarding the facilitator disciplines, I think empathic listening might require intention. Not intention as in the intention to listen empathically, but an intention to communicate something to whoever I'm conversing with. To listen for how the words of another display that person's attitude, in the positional sense, towards what I'm trying to communicate creates a very nuanced and sensitive space to gather information from. An intention, or a clear question in my mind helps me listen empathically.
I have gotten much more comfortable with slowing things down when I speak. Sometimes I still get excited and begin to sprint towards what I see is an good sentence (or punchline), but I am catching myself more and more often. Being comfortable with slow pacing also helps with empathic listening, and gives me time to synthesize what I'm hearing while I formulate a response.
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