List questions you have about the Listener Role?
Jyoti
How can I break in when a babelonion is going on and on without getting anger back?
Susan Campbell
Is it better to repeat exact words--esp words that seem to have emotional meaning for the speaker, or is it best to summarize my own sense of the gist of what I heard?
Evan Magor
How can I work on being more present and stay out of my own thoughts and reactions?
Toby Yesterday
Is it really helpful for the listener to hear the speaker’s judgments or blame or aggression?
At what point or in what conditions does listening to someone express something become traumatic? E.g. if a person of color was listening to a white supremacist express why they believe white people are superior, or a LGBTQ person hear a pastor say that they are going to hell.
How do we protect listeners from trauma, or give them tools to be able to hear things in a way that is not traumatic for them?
Zak Wear
Not to make it seem more like therapy, but could the listener take notes?
What impacts, good/bad/neutral, could note-taking have?
When preparing someone for listening/reflecting for the first time, what are some techniques to help them connect with listening practice?
William Filler
The major questions I have regarding the listening role are;
How much should I encourage the speaker when I feel that they might be polite and haven’t been heard completely heard.
The other is interrupting the speaker when experiencing information overload. In general, I err toward less intervention.
Sam Kifer
How can I improve my ability to listen for the deeper feelings and needs in what somebody is saying? Likewise, how can I coach someone else on how to do the same?
What do I do if I have a question for the Speaker that comes from genuine curiosity and desire to more fully clarify and understand what they are saying? Often I just hold these questions back, but I’m wondering what role poignant questions may have in helping the Speaker feel more fully heard and understood?
How can I more fully develop my ability to be present with the Speaker rather than distracted with my own thoughts, reactions, and planning of future responses?
Edwin Rutsch
I wonder about how my mindset, at the moment, affects or filters what I am hearing?
How might I deepen my listening and reflecting?
What is the role of listening for feelings and reflecting feelings?
What is my deeper intentions of listening?