Becoming a Professional Listener
Our culture stresses the importance of “finding the right words” and “thinking before you speak” much more than it attempts to emphasize the vital importance of listening. Listening is the first skill we learn, even in utero, and the one found to have greatest impact on our personal relationships and professional trajectory. Even so, it is the least taught. Once we establish a new mindset toward listening, we can then learn specific behaviors that enable us to listen and interact more effectively and that allow the other (our “speaker”) to feel heard.
Course Details
Goals for the Learner: In this Course, you will explore and develop greater self-awareness of your listening strengths and challenges. Then you will learn strategies, tactics, and habits which will allow you to cultivate an overall mindset that enables you to become a “professional listener.” These skills will help you find better ways to work collaboratively and across a range of diversity in your workplace and at home.
Type of Learner: Leaders of all types – whether the CEO of your family or of a Fortune 50 organization, this program is for people who want to lead more effectively through a journey into becoming a Professional Listener.
Course Logistics: This Course will walk you through a month of small steps toward life-long development as a better and more “active” listener. In the introductory lessons you will learn how to set up your learning time and weekly process and get a good overview of Listening (about 45 mins to an hour each). Each subsequent daily lessons will require a time commitment of no more than 30 minutes with time for activities and reflection.
Suggested Tuition: $150
Instructor: Graham Bodie, PhD is an internationally recognized expert on listening and has published over 90 monographs, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries. He is a Certified Practitioner for the ECHO Listening Profile and has extensive experience helping businesses and teams discover the power of listening. Graham currently serves as Chief Listening Officer of Listen First Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.