How can you use mindful listening to inspire change in your organization or community?

Totally agree. During the pandemic, the amount of mindful listening was at an all time high. We had to be mindful of one another and be empathetic. We see each other at work and spend more time with each other than our own personal families. Therefore it’s crucial that we keep the dynamic in a mindful way. It’s free to care.

Time has to be dedicated and invested for mindful listening ??. When the attention span has reduced the skill to listen needs to be practiced and tested. Starting point of transformation is listening

“Listen to understand and not to reply” is a simple yet powerful principle that changed my listening approach. Another one is “if you are so full of yourself how can you be available to others? Be an empty cup” Non-violent communication (NVCs) approach to listen to the feelings and needs is also game-changing. I recommend the Heartful communication course that’s freely available online.

Mindfulness usually means nonjudgmental awareness. Establishing awareness and presence in our busy lives is a challenge in itself, but nonjudgment may be the hardest part. I often think of mindfulness as creating a safe container for thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Mindful listening is similar. You create a safe space for the exchange of ideas and try to receive them without judgment. Clearly, after hearing the information and if action is required, judgment may later be needed. Suspending judgment at least in the listening phase is essential to ensure you really understand. When you do this, you will not only build trust with others; you will also be in a better position to know what to do about the information you received.

Listen to learn, not to solution or fix. Listen with a sense of curiosity, openness, and friendliness. For example, I really want to know more about you, and what's going on - welcome the finer details. Be willing to set down, the tug or pull to make things better, different or fix it. For example, dolling out advice, like 'this will pass', or 'it's a gift or learning' etc. The biggest gift we can give another person is our presence, just being in the present moment, 'as is', and the skillfulness of mindful listening is an act of kindness and compassion.

In my experience mindful listening has transformed how I connect with new people. People always remember how you make them feel and when you listen mindfully. People can feel that you genuinely care. When you respond mindfully, they can feel your authenticity. The outcome is a deeper and more meaningful connection - something the world needs much more of.

Mindful listening is important for two major reasons. 1) It makes the speaker aware that you are acknowledging them. Just this awareness can make them share more and share freely what they need. 2) It clarifies the message for you (that is, the listener) as well. You are able to pick up on not only the spoken message but the intent behind the message which will eventually promote reflection at your end. This reflection can help in finding solutions and collaborate in a way which works for both the parties.

Through mindful listening you can hear what isn’t being said and accept the other person’s viewpoint without rushing to respond. This can help create psychological safety for the other person. When a person feels safe in your presence,any possibilities open up for progressing on professional and interpersonal challenges.

There’s a theme that runs through every conversation I have when we go deeper: people are yearning to feel seen and heard. Very rarely do people want you to step in and offer solutions — they mostly just want to know that someone is truly listening and hears their pain. This is what mindful listening allows one to do.

A few tips on mindful listening. It really helps to set everything else aside. Definitely put your phone down and stop all other work. Let go of the pressure to respond right away and focus on the contents of the message. Though empathy is popularly envisioned as helpful here, mindfulness can really help maintain stability and enough distance to hear the message without being lost in the other person's emotion. I try to aim for stability and calm as I listen and a nice pause to allow for reflection and settling before talking helps too.

Listening mindfully is a skill that you need to practice and develop. Counsellors in training often spend time noticing how they listen and what happens to them/their thoughts as they listen to others. Usually, people find that they have some hurry, worry, or preoccupation. At times, one might be thinking about what to say and how to respond to the other even before they have finished talking. Practising mindful listening involves learning how to pause this preoccupation, set things aside, and listen with the intent of listening. Notice, along with the words, the non-verbal cues of the person and show them with your gestures that you are indeed listening to them.

One things for sure, when conflicts arise, emotions run high. I agree with the statement above to first, pause and breathe. The simple act of breathing can help bring us back to the present moment. Be intentional with your breathing, inhale slowly and exhale fully. This helps you center yourself. Observe the situation without judgment; this includes your feelings and any assumptions you may be making. Choose to be curious instead of judgmental. Bring awareness to your body. Notice your feet on the ground and/or the weight of your body in your chair. This is a simple and easy grounding technique. Release any tension you've been holding. Remember, emotions are temporary. Stay focused on being constructive instead of destructive.

As a lawyer, I have had to learn not to absorb the judgments and emotions of everyone around me. Mindfulness has provided a great buffer for this and compassion helps me avoid judging myself or the other people too harshly. When it comes to conflict, judgments and emotions can arise easily and they can definitely get in the way of seeing a potential resolution. If you can remain steady and really hear the other side, you may see possibilities for resolution. You may even be in a position to lead and guide them to your way of thinking. I find that staying focused on the issues, not reacting to outbursts, but consistently setting boundaries for communication really helps with this.

Practicing mindful listening in a conflict is a superpower, and one that you totally have access to! Here's how: Take a beat to self-regulate when things get tense. You will likely have a whirl of emotions and thoughts running all over the place, but you can take deep, even breaths and *pause* before replying. Pausing has two benefits: it gives you a chance to relax any tension that comes up and also helps you come across as thoughtful and caring.

It can be challenging to be present and do mindful listening in a conflict situation. Here are techniques to use, that I use as a therapist. The instinctive response is reactionary, to respond fuelled by emotion. By using a combination of physical reassurance such as placing a hand on your own chest or side of your neck, combined with a few deep breaths. This can allow the body to relax even if only briefly to then be able to respond from a calmer place. In situations where there is likely to be conflict or stress. Keep the body as relaxed as possible, without this physical response it is easier to stay calm. When you relax the body the thoughts and responses are likely to be less reactionary.

Eine M?glichkeit, die ich immer mit auf den Weg gebe, ist, erst zu wiederholen, was verstanden wurde. H?ufig entstehen hier bereits die ersten Missverst?ndnisse. Die Frage ,was brauchst du gerade?‘ hilft ebenfalls dabei, die Perspektive zu ver?ndern und raus aus einer rechtfertigenden Haltung zu kommen.

Early in my career, I had the opportunity to work for an organization that instilled in me the belief that no idea is a bad idea. This mindset was the foundation of our brainstorming sessions, allowing us to develop thoughtful and inclusive programs. Through this experience, I learned that effective communication goes beyond simply listening to what is being said. It requires a deeper level of mindful listening to understand what is not being said. It involves considering who should be included or represented in the conversation and ensuring that no one feels excluded in the outcomes we agree upon.

Soy profesora de Yoga, me encanta leer cuentos zen en clase, normalmente los leo detrás de una Meditación, canto del Om, ya que hay un estado de conciencia más sútil, menos ruidoso mentalmente. Todos los cuentos contienen un aprendizaje, que me da pie para saber si lo comparten, si lo han experimentado, si alguna tiene una visión diferente. Escucho las reflexiones que surgen, nos enriquecemos ya que reconocemos en los comentarios aquellos argumentos que nos hacen vibrar, tod@s estamos atent@s, se genera participación, se da espacio a explicar experiencias que se acogen con respeto. El diálogo es constructivo y me gusta la cohesión que se crea de grupo.

One thing that I have learned to do as a leader is to make sure that expectations of conversations are clearly addressed at the outset. Leaders will sometimes have staff come to them to vent, to seek advice, or to seek help or some kind of resolution. If you can try to identify this expectation early on, it may make the act of listening easier. You will know what is most pertinent and what your role in it might be. It may also help your mind avoid scanning around for a response instead of listening to the other person intently. One caution, however, is that leaders may need to be careful about promising confidentiality with discussions in the workplace due to legal or policy restrictions.

Here's a strategy for practicing mindful listening in a leadership role: Focus entirely on the person speaking. Be fully present by engaging somatically—be physically and emotionally aware of your internal experience and how you receive the other person as you listen with intention. Eliminate distractions, maintain consistent eye contact, and genuinely show interest in what they're expressing. Engage in mindful listening with a coaching mindset by summarizing or paraphrasing the speaker's words to ensure mutual understanding. This not only clarifies thoughts but also fosters trust, inspiration, and collaborative problem-solving, leading to innovative solutions that might not have been considered otherwise.

In every relationship, every system (family, team, org…) toxins build up … due to slights, behaviours, mismatched expectations etc. And most of these are ignored, not addressed or brushed under the carpet. This adds enormously to the resistance to change. Mindful listening is one nice way to detox.

Change feels uncertain, as it breaks the status quo , so communication during this time is crucial , as how this change will impact people , and listen what people feel about change , as change will impact everyone , so important to listen what is unsaid , especially body language ...and than building safety with mutual purpose , so that everyone stays open to change.