Authentic Listening

Authentic Listening is a transformational act of service – both to the listener and to the person being listened to. I invite you to remember a time when you felt truly listened to, when the other person was intensely focused on you and what you had to say. What was your experience? Most likely you felt that what you had to say mattered and, on a deeper level, that you mattered. You might also have felt yourself opening up to reveal thoughts and emotions you were previously unaware of. Contrast this with what I refer to as “superficial” or “insincere” listening, where the listener is scanning the room while they are supposedly listening to what you are saying. This type of experience often results in our shutting down, rather than opening up.

 Authentic Listening is a transformational act of service – both to the listener and to the person being listened to. Through the act of authentic listening, the listener creates a safe and facilitative space for the other person to unfold and feel that what they have to say truly matters. In return, the listener is provided with the gift of entering the sacred space of another person’s inner world. Authentic listening is a skill that can be learned; it requires intention, commitment, hard work and lots of practice. The rewards of taking on this way of being in the world are worth the initial effort involved. Authentic listening is an elegant conversational dance that results in deep connections and the stepping into a world of grace where every life matters.

 Janet

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