For those who missed this fabulous workshop here are the highlights from “The Power of Listening”, brought to us by Juliet Atkinson on February 19th, 2019 at the INC

Gathering together in a circle, we began the evening with a presence exercise (as presence is a key element of listening :-) and shared how we were showing up to the workshop. 

We shared key elements of listening: staying authentic, grounded and in your own centre; creating benevolence and safe space; setting your intention to listen; being present and available; being curious; seeking to understand the unique person in front of us… 

Check out this short video on The Foundations of Listening.  

We then started to connect with one another through a series of exercises in pairs to discover and experience together different levels of listening. We explored the topics of “my biggest challenge at work”; “how I see myself at the end of this year”, and “something close to my heart in my work”. 

The philosopher Simone Weil said: “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity”. How can we honour someone with the gift of listening? How can we help them to feel heard, seen, and known? To learn more about the different levels of listening that we practised together, check out the following three short videos on Listening with the Ears; Listening with the Eyes; Listening with the Heart.

Bringing it all together, the invitation extended from this session is to practise listening more with your family, friends, and colleagues and to notice what changes… 

1. Listen intentionally and without interrupting
2. Reformulate: I understood that…, I observed that…, I felt that…
3. Inquire: Ask questions to clarify facts and to check for understanding on how the person is experiencing the situation they describe.
4. Don’t be afraid of silences. Silence helps us to process, reflect, and allows space for the new to emerge.

Secondly, to be consciously more diverse in our own listening. Who are the people that you listen to the most? Who would you typically seek out for advice and opinion? What do they have in common? What are you inviting them into? How can you listen more to people with different profiles, preferences, and points of view?

Finally, I recommend this TedTalk on The Power of Listening from William Ury, who invites us to “hear the human being behind the words”. 

Thank you to all those present for a vibrant and engaging evening. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to contribute to the development of my fellow PWN members. Thank you also to everyone who stayed on to continue the conversation and connection over a drink and nibbles.

Thank you, Juliet! Thank you to the INC for hosting our Professional Development workshops this year and thanks to the INC team for making it happen: Muriel Janoir-Bessioud (PWN member :).

For more information on the PWN Professional Development programme for 2018 - 2019, please contact: Romaine Johnstone, PWN/VP Professional Development:

rjohnstone.pwnparis@gmail.com - Mobile +33 (0)6 64 27 29 07