How to listen?
This blog is one of a series of Facilitation Thoughts which look at various aspects of facilitation
Listening is half of communication and successful facilitators practice good listening skills.
Listening is probably the most difficult part of facilitation. Good listening skills are usually taught to counsellors and others who are doing therapeutic practice. Listening requires practice.
The Barefoot Guide Connection suggests a model in which listening is done at three levels.
(The detailed reading is available here or here )
( Chris is an advocate of dialogue across differences, and his experience is reflected in s Getting to know Dialogue and Twenty Reasons why Citizens Call for dialogue . )
It is easy to wander off if the mind is preoccupied with other matters related to the session. The facilitator should be ready to listen when engaging in a discussion. Listening also requires :-
Have a look at the other Facilitation blogs
Author : Vidyaratha Kissoon contact : vidyak1 (at) gmail (dot) com
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| Listening model learned from http://www.barefootguide.org |
Listening is half of communication and successful facilitators practice good listening skills.
Listening is probably the most difficult part of facilitation. Good listening skills are usually taught to counsellors and others who are doing therapeutic practice. Listening requires practice.
The Barefoot Guide Connection suggests a model in which listening is done at three levels.
(The detailed reading is available here or here )
Chris Spies expands this model further with additional levels of understanding needs and the cultural context, as explained in the blog post Listen deeper and deeper!"Listening for the Head" - the Thinking Level - to thoughts, facts, concepts, arguments, ideas and the principles behind these
"Listening for the Heart" - the Feeling Level - to feelings, emotions, mood, experience and the values behind these.
"Listening for the Feet" - the Will Level - to intentions, energy, direction, motivation, the will.
( Chris is an advocate of dialogue across differences, and his experience is reflected in s Getting to know Dialogue and Twenty Reasons why Citizens Call for dialogue . )
It is easy to wander off if the mind is preoccupied with other matters related to the session. The facilitator should be ready to listen when engaging in a discussion. Listening also requires :-
- paying attention to the speaker - maintaining eye contact and positioning the body. ( giving verbal cues to those who are visually impaired )
- using your eyes to note body language and other non-verbal cues to check on emotions
- avoid physical barriers such as tables, pulpits. If possible, be at the same eye level as the speaker.
- keeping your mind open, or at least be conscious of your biases
- understanding the background to the speaker's opinions
- asking questions without interrupting the speaker to seek clarification
- summarising what is said to show understanding , where possible using the speaker's words and terminology. In a brainstorming session for example, the words would be written so that the speaker and other participants understand. Some skillful facilitators would draw a picture or diagram to represent what was said.
Listening in a virtual session
I have had to be more mindful when listening in a virtual session than in a face to face to session since I cannot use my body language, I cannot observe body language and other cues. I tend to leave my video on so participants can see me when talking.
It is good to summarise points made by the participant who is talking, repeating key points and ask questions to seek clarification. Use the chat window to type in any key points and confirm any additional resources - e.g. if the participant makes reference to a book, find the title and author and post the link.
Check with the participant that you and the others in the groupg have understood the points correctly.
Have a look at the other Facilitation blogs
Author : Vidyaratha Kissoon contact : vidyak1 (at) gmail (dot) com
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