The Zen Of Listening

Listening requires your presence.

There is no way you can hear what someone is saying and connect with that person when at the same time you’re directing a movie in your head. It is impossible.

Listening requires you to be in the present moment.

That is not easy.

So many distractions.

The distractions that we are talking about are not the distractions like someone washing the windows of your meeting room – that can be very distracting – or an employee bursting into the room because of an emergency – also definitely a listener stopper. No, here we are talking about all the distractions that you create in your mind. The endless chatter between thoughts, ideas, emotions…

Let’s look at some simple tips that will help you create a leadership presence and improve your listening:

Three Simple Practices

1 – Let Your Breath Be Your Guide

Let your breath be your guide to the present moment. Bring your attention to your breath. Notice how your belly moves outward when breathing in and inwards when breathing out.

Notice this movement of your belly with the pattern of your breath for 10 seconds.

2 – Walk Into The Present Before Your Meeting

When you walk to your next meeting be aware of how you put your feet on the floor. Warning: you might walk a bit slower so take care that you have an extra minute.

– Notice with which foot you start walking. Right or left?

– Notice how you put your feet on the floor. Heavy or light?

– Feel which part of your foot touches the earth first.

– Feel which part of your foot touches the earth last.

There is no wrong or right way to do this. This is all about being present.

3 – Connect To Your Body

Connect to your body. Ask yourself a question like:

How do my feet rest on the floor? (And are they resting?)

Are my hands relaxed?

How much space is between my shoulders and my ears?

4 – Slow Down

Slow down your mind by being okay with not knowing what to say next. Be comfortable with silence.

Try one of the above practices today. Let me know how it went. I would love to hear from you.

By Carla Schnitker|March 8th, 2017|

About the Author

Early in her career, Carla got fascinated by change processes and leadership. Now twenty plus years later she is still working in that field. No longer an executive or interim manager, Carla now mentors managers who want to make a difference in their organization. She’s the author of Leading through Change: Six Principles for Leading People in Unpredictable Times.