, Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.
And then over Christmas I stumbled over a short video interview with Nancy Kline where she says this:
I want to be listening in a way that is more interested in where you will go next than I am in what I am going to say next.
Credit: Nancy Kline
She thinks that the attention of one human being to another is an act of creation. Watch the video - it's only 2 mins long. Although, I have never quite articulated this in this past its always been an implicit principle behind my Knowledge Cafes.
It may seem strange but listening although usually seen as passive can be very powerful action!
Youu can learn more about Nancys work here.
The quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first.
The quality of our thinking depends on the way we treat each other while we are thinking.
Credit: Nancy Kline
