The Listening exercise

Thanks to my connections with Volcano Theatre, I have had the opportunity to be involved in workshops and performances that have made me rethink the way people communicate.

We did a wonderful exercise where, in pairs, we had to talk about a topic for a solid 5 minutes without interruption. It’s very hard as a listener not to interrupt, to clarify, to agree or disagree, to somehow make the conversation all about us.  As a speaker it’s very effective in terms of making us delve deep into the one topic, exploring our stream of consciousness.  I learnt more about my new colleague and gave more of myself away in one single cross-conversation (different topic each) than I think I would ever have done and our business interactions are that much more connected.

The session was beautifully curated and put together (you have to be there to truly get it I think) but the lesson is a simple one – take the time to listen, and be generous with your honesty.