U Process Part 3: Radical Listening

November 13th, 2008 by

This is the third post in a series on the U Process (read the first two here and here).

In a couple of previous posts, I began to outline a social change technology called “U Process.” I gave a quick overview of the three movements of the U (deep learning dive, inner knowing, and swift action), and I shared a bit about mental models and the role they play as blinders to new ideas.

If learning to recognize your own mental models and setting them aside is the first step down the left side of the U, then learning how to listen deeply is the second.

Levels of Listening

Listening isn’t quite as simple as just sitting down while someone else is talking to you. We’ve all had a conversation with someone when it feels like they aren’t really there with us, and we’ve all drifted off somewhere else when we were meaning to really listen to someone, right? Below is a concept of four deepening levels of listening outlined by C. Otto Scharmer in his book about the U Process.

Level 1: This is the way, unfortunately, I believe most “listening” takes place. Level one is really not listening at all, it’s reacting from old habits and mental models. It’s when we’re thinking about what we want to say next instead of listening to the other person. Level one is like downloading old ideas and habits of judgment from some database in our heads, reconfirming old opinions and positions.

Level 2: If Level One downloading is really being stuck inside ourselves and our old ideas, the next level is like stepping outside to the edge of yourself, and observing what’s really going on. The difference is being open-minded enough to see new data, see more of the picture. This level isn’t too hard to reach.

Level 3: Taking another step deeper into listening is like observing from within the person you are listening to. It’s opening your heart enough to see through another’s eyes, to see and hear what they see and hear. It’s a major shift in perspective.

Level 4: The fourth, quite radical level of listening that Scharmer proposes is more tricky to explain, and achieve. It’s listening from a different ‘source,’ a place where you open your spirit and will to let the future emerge through you. It’s not really about what you hear another person say, but more about trusting the inner knowing that bubbles up inside you from somewhere.

Voices in the Way

So, there are deeper levels of listening that most of us don’t tap into very often. The deeper you go, the more radical the listening is. So why don’t we all listen at level 4?

Our mental models get in the way of hearing or seeing the whole picture, and so do little voices in our heads. The voices I’m referring to aren’t evidence of insanity or anything like that, they are the tricks our mind plays on us sometimes. There are voices of judgment, of cynicism and of fear that become serious obstacles to deep listening.

To get to a place of true listening, we have to create a safe space for it within ourselves. We have to recognize and acknowledge the mental models, the judgment, cynicism and fear that become roadblocks to really listening. And then set them aside and continue the journey. They don’t go away, we just learn to ignore them as much as we can.

Overcoming the roadblocks lets us climb down that ladder of deep, radical listening. Give it a try, and please share your thoughts or experiences in the comments.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Community Development, Leadership, Rural | Comments ( 0 )

No comments yet

Leave a Reply