Choose to be Curious Ep. #300: Curiosity & Listening with the Energy of Fourteen Hearts, with Haru Yamada
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Oct 8, 2025 Haru Yamada, a sociolinguist and author of "Kiku: The Japanese Art of Good Listening," shares her insights on listening with empathy. She explores the concept of listening through multiple channels, emphasizing the difference between hearing for information and listening for identity and context. Haru discusses the role of curiosity in listening, balancing predictability and surprise. She offers practical steps for entering someone's listening space, promoting deeper connections. Listen for a light-hearted analogy linking curiosity to breakdancing!
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Two Kinds Of Listening
- Kiku has two written forms: one listens for information, the other listens with '14 hearts' to the person behind words.
- Haru Yamada argues we usually prioritize listening for language over listening to the person and should rebalance both channels.
Listen In Surround Sound
- Remember listening happens across multiple channels and contexts, not just words; tune into voice, emotion, and environment.
- Use that surround-sound awareness to avoid misreading content as character judgments.
Listening Reveals Relationships
- Listening functions as both information transmission and a relationship skill that reveals who people are.
- Haru Yamada says missing the 'people' dimension causes many conversational misunderstandings and conflicts.
