Workshop: Curious Listening

How do you foster curious listening?

In this session you will adapt best practices for learning and developing key skills to help you grow utilizing curiosity listening.

First, defining the act of curious listening, which is intentional listening with your ears, eyes, heart, and an open (beginners) mind.  Furthermore, the physiological attributes lead to a desire to learn from the other person, demonstrating and experiencing genuine interest, being aware of your own listening blind spots and being intentional to overcome them.

Second, incorporating transactional communication showing interest in others in the act of listening.  It is more than your own personal agendas, needs and interests.

Third, genuinely curious listeners have a desire to continue to learn.  The is a willingness to be inquisitive and ask questions of the other person, and humbly admit when we do not know answers.

Fourth, curious listening is not feeling that you need to be in control, however being able to take a leap of faith that you may not know how the conversation will transpire.

Fifth, beware of your own certainty.  This is when you are convinced that your own enculturation and opinions are absolute and true.  This can be grounded in a degree of ego and arrogance.

Sixth, this is a human interaction.  Embrace it.  Curiosity in listening can provide discovery of something new and be the catalyst for transforming a one-sided boring conversation to opportunities for greater engagement.

Lastly, you should promote psychological safety with curious listening, meaning the person with whom you are dialoguing feel the interaction is safe and comfortable.  And, with any sharing of speaking their minds, ideas posed, identifying problems, or sharing any personal aspects of their lives will be treated with utmost care and respect.

This is truly the art of “telling less” and “asking more”.