Listen to ignite thinking: We tend to think of listening as a passive act. This is a mistake. Listening is not passive. It’s a powerful act of creation.
Twenty or more years ago, I came across this statement from Stephen Covey in talking about his fifth habit, “Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood,” and it has profoundly impacted me.
I talk more about listening without the intent to reply elsewhere in this blook.Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.
I recently, however, stumbled over a short video interview with Nancy Kline that makes the point differently. In the video, she says:
Nancy thinks that the attention of one human being to another is an act of creation. Watch the video below — it’s only two minutes long. Although I have never entirely articulated this in the past, it’s always been an implicit principle behind my Knowledge Cafés. Liz Scott, in conversation with Nancy KlineI 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.
Listening is not a passive act, it is a very powerful action.
The attention of one human being to another is an act of creation.
If I can be profoundly interested in what you think and what you will think next and where you will go with your thinking, you will generate ideas and insights and ways forward that you wouldn’t do without this attention.
It may seem strange, but listening, although usually seen as a passive act, can be a very powerful action!
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- Listen to ignite thinking: Listening is not a passive act – it’s a powerful act of creation.
- 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.
Posts that link to this post
- Don’t Give Advice Especially when it is sought
- Conversation Sharpens the Saw It is not a waste of time
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