HEALTHY TEAMING 2022

LISTENING

Healthy Teaming Introduction

Listening

Curiosity

Trust

Navigate Conflict

Clear Commitments

Mutual Accountability

Listening well is the first foundational capacity for Healthy Teaming

  1. Watch the Listening learning video below (8 mins)

  2. Set up a daily practice of noticing the quality of your Listening. As you go about your day, at what level did you or are you listening in various meetings, social events, informal conversations at work or at home? Level 1? Level 2? Level 3? Level 4? Assess what interior and exterior conditions enable you to bring forth your best Listening level for the interaction. Notice what factors get in the way of optimal Listening, for you.  Leverage your accountability partner for feedback and insights on the power of listening. 

  3. Practice with your learning partner - choose from Practice 1 or Practice 2 below (or both!) Reflect together on the practice and what you have learned together and what questions have come up.

 
 
 

VIDEO - LISTENING (8 minutes)

 

HANDOUT - Levels of Listening PDF from the video

 

LEARNING/DOING PRACTICE (20 mins): We invite you to select one practice to do with your accountability partner this week (in person or online)

Optional Practice 1

Each person takes a turn.

Person A chooses one polemic or slightly controversial subject to talk about uninterrupted about for 5 minutes. Person B listens while paying attention to what level of listening they are listening from. They do not interrupt, comment, or respond verbally.. If a silence occurs, they stay silent till Person A starts talking again or the 5 minutes are over.

They then switch roles.

Then 5 to 10 minutes to reflect together on the experience. What did you notice about your listening? How did it feel to be listened to without interruption? Could the person listening feel the level of listening their partner was trying to listen from/? What made it easy? What made it hard?

Note: Examples of controversial subjects that learning participants have used in the past: 1.How to address female reproductive rights  2.How to deal with clashing opinions at a family dinner  3.How to solve the problem of fake news. 4. How to address climate challenges 5. Why it is important to help the poor even if rules must be broken

 

Optional Practice 2

Building trust through listening and voicing in a learning duo.

Follow the questions we used in the Introduction session breakout. Make sure to follow the questions in the order they are provided. Take the time to consider how much or what you are wanting to share this first time. This is not about deep diving into immediate vulnerability, but simply noticing where your comfort zone is and what happens when you share and listen with another in a safe space.

Each person takes 5 to 10 minutes (the two of you decide how long together) to answer the following questions in sequence

1. Briefly share your family background (where you grew up, siblings, nationality, etc)  

2.Two defining moments/events/choices/people that shaped your life?

3. What is brewing in your life and work right now? 5 or so minutes each.

Then 10+ minutes to reflect together on the experience, and implications for teams you are a part of or are guiding.