Ki Moments Blog

Support for life’s “key” moments.

October 27, 2015

Fall Conversations, by Carrol Suzuki

Fall Conversations, by Carrol Suzuki


I'm indebted to Carrol Suzuki of Suzuki and Associates for the following post and related links on the importance of listening in our lives and workplaces.

Visit Carrol's Website for additional tips on "The Business of Listening."

Fall Conversations

by Carrol Suzuki

A perfect day in autumn is sunshine, crisp air and dry sidewalks with a blanket of bright multi-colored leaves. What if the way we walk through those leaves gives us some wonderful hints about how to listen well.

What if we: 

  • Let other people's ideas - like new falling leaves - fall gently into the conversation rather than quickly kicking them aside.
  • Welcomed those thoughts and even caught them in our minds and hearts and held them gently to acknowledge how important they are.
  • Cherished the variety and individuality of each contribution as well as noticing the major themes or important "unsaid" of what is being heard.

Take a walk on one of these remaining days of Fall and maybe - do it with a friend, relative or colleague - and try out these listening intentions. Let me know how it goes.

Cheers,

Carrol


Carrol's favorite current readings right now are:

  1. Sherry Turkle's Talk to Each Other, Not Your Phone from NYTimes, 1 October 2015 (shorter article if you don't have much time)
  2. Sherry Turkle's Stop Goggling! Let's Talk from NYTimes, 27 September 2015
  3. Sherry Turkle's just released book:  Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. Yes - Amazon has it and if you live in Toronto - you can put a HOLD on either a real book or an e-book.

"Friends are those rare people who ask how we are, and then wait to hear the answer."
~ Ed Cunningham
 

Many thanks to Carrol.  And...wishing everyone beautiful Fall walks and gentle listening conversations.

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