Are you really listening…?

nuggetsoflearning • November 28, 2016

 

Everyone deserves a damned good listening too.

So how good are you?

Often trainers describe 5 levels:-

  1. Ignoring
  2. Pretending
  3. Selective
  4. Active
  5. Empathetic

To simplify it even further and make it really “real”,  work to the model of 3 levels of listening.

Level 1 – internal listening

  • You are not entirely giving the agenda to the person
  •  You ask too many questions that you want the answers to
  • You are thinking about the next thing to say and analysing what you said before
  • Talking about yourself
  • You are focusing too much on you

Level 2 – Focused listening

  • You are in total rapport, you match each other in tone, energy and posture
  • You are following their agenda and not interrupting
  • Your questions probe and clarify and stay on the topic
  • Never giving advice
  • You summarise their dialogue so that they stay on their agenda
  • You are listening for underlying meaning and you are aware of your impact
  • You are curious about them

Level 3 – Global listening

  • Takes in everything
  • You can feel the energy in their words
  • Aware of everything at level 2, however aware of the emotion behind it
  • Skilled to take risks during the conversation
  • You use your intuition to input

The three levels of listening are from the Co-Active Coaching model.

Please do get in touch if you would like a workshop on listening or developing coaching skills.

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