The Clarifying Role of Listening
Many speakers find that their ideas become clearer not when they first think them but when they articulate them and then listen to the feedback-either from others or from their own reflections. Still greater clarity is available when the speaker shares their thoughts and ideas with someone trained in transformative listening.
You've likely heard of active listening and are wondering how it differs ftom transformative listening. The goal in the case of active listening is to encourage the speaker through specific types of verbal and nonverbal feedback. This feedback assures the speaker they're being both heard and understood. Transformative listening goes deeper, providing a safe space for connection, reflection and the release of hidden blockages.
While active listening can be learned in a seminar or training, transformative listening is built upon years of communication study and practice, a foundational understanding of empathy and a finely honed intuitive ability to hear what is unspoken as clearly as the spoken words.
When I started a two year intensive communication training program over a decade ago, I already had eighteen years as an educator under my belt working with at-risk youth. My classes were known to run smoothly with unbelievably few discipline problems. I knew how to speak so kids would hear me and how to listen well enough to head off problems. I had no idea how much joy, connection and healing I was leaving on the table.
After the formal training, I continued to both study, practice and experiment with a variety of listening techniques. The result is a level of listening that allows me to ask the questions that open hearts, tap imagination and create new futures. Through Transformative Listening, I provide clients a safe, engaging space for clarity and self discovery.
If you are seeking clarity on an issue or suspect there's a blockage hidden from you, book a transformative listening session today.