Deep Listening - Impact beyond words - Oscar Trimboli

Cath Mundy’s work composing original music for theatre has explored diverse ground, including sacredCOWs, The Quivering, which won a Green Room Award for Outstanding Sound Design / Music Score 2007. In 1996 with British singer-songwriter (& husband) Jay Turner, Cath formed acoustic-music duo Mundy-Turner, performing as a vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (violin, piano, ukulele, percussion). Over two decades, they released seven albums, their debut High Life winning a Queensland Recording Association Award 1999 for Best Folk/Ethnic Album. They have toured many countries performing at festivals, venues and events, including supporting The Corrs and Fairport Convention. Cath conducts three community choirs: Freedom Train, Mixed Beans multicultural choir and With One Voice Brisbane. She witnesses first-hand every week the power that group-singing has to make positive change in individual lives and to create healthier, more connected communities. Cath is passionate about empowering all people to reclaim their human right to sing. Today’s Topics: What audiences can learn from a musician and a customer. How we are listening on a number of levels. It’s a skill to listen and train as a choir. They listen to themselves, what’s around them, and the whole group. The difference between local listening, neighborhood listening, and regional listening. How a conductor not only listens to the choir, but they also listen to the audience.   The importance of relaxing. Getting people to play to help them relax. Visual cues and people’s breathing. Changing the shape of their mouths and helping them hear the difference. Shining eyes and an inner smile are signs of being engaged. A surprise visit from John Farnham and the Choir of Hard Knocks. Hearing an intensity of motion beyond the sound. The conductor’s role listening to the audience. The importance of engagement. It can be difficult without the visual, but you can feel their energy. Smiles, brightness of eyes, and an open body facing towards you signals engagement. Making creative choices as opposed to mistakes. The importance of eye contact especially with connecting with the choir and keeping them focused. Reconnecting as a lost listener. Silence is important. Not forgetting to pay attention to the silence. Paying attention to the space and where we breath. Silence can be difficult for some people. A sign of a good friendship is comfortably sitting in silence. Where more emotion gets heard. Links and Resources: Mundy - Turner Freedom Train Cath Mundy on Facebook @cathjay on Twitter Benjamin Zander You’re the Voice John Farnham The Choir of Hard Knocks Quotes: I like to draw my attention to those moments of silence. They might be really small ones, but they are just as important as the notes we are singing. - Cath The contrast between sound and silence is where all that interesting interplay happens. - Cath They were so totally tuned into each other that I felt a total alignment of their sound. - Cath Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

Cai Kjaer CEO of Swoop Analytics explains how leaders and employees can listen to each other across issues, departments, and across the world. Today, we explore beyond the one on one dialogue. We also explore beyond team dialogue. We dive into listening at scale including thousands of more of conversations simultaneously. Cai Kjaer is an extraordinary leader in this field. His company Swoop Analytics focuses on the power of collaboration and people networks to get work done. They are a consulting company that maps organizational networks to find the most valuable metrics to drive collaborative business performance. Today’s Topics: The difference between the way men and women network. How everyone in the warehouse went to a guy named Elvis for help, yet it was completely unknown to upper management. There is no simple manual way to get this information sent to you. Cai shares how he got involved surveying people about who they contact to get work done. This eventually led to the founding of Swoop Analytics. Yammer is an enterprise network where people can collaborate. They took all of their IP and built the platform about relationship insights to build a profile around collaboration habits. If you have an enterprise social platform is make yourself visible and start to read. Having biases and seeing many sides. Collecting data across multiple industries. 5 archetypes: observer, broadcaster, responder, catalyst, and engagers. Engagers are most aspirational as listeners. The difference between listening and hearing. Being authentic in the way you interact with people. Killing myths and conversation at scale. Pay attention, look at people, and stay in the moment. How men and women play different roles in communication, Women are better at interaction with women and with men. Men don’t interact as much with women than they do with men. Gender issues and diversity in Silicon Valley. Forming more relationships with women and listening and engaging. Appreciating the role of women in a networked world. Ask questions. Listen and ask followups. Don’t get into the mindset of just telling. Links and Resources: Swoop Analytics Cai Kjaer LinkedIn @caikjaer on Twitter Yammer Facebook Workplace Quotes: “We looked at gender data and women are better at interacting than men are.” Cai Kjaer “Men are good at establishing new relationships from a transactional basis to get work done then move on.” Cai Kjaer “Senior leaders have no clue about who are the ones that really carry the most influence in their organizations.” Cai Kjaer Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

Lisa Lockland-Bell is a Leader in Vocal Communication. Her ability to Diagnose, Heal and Reveal the potential that lies within each human voice is Spectacular. A respected Keynote Speaker, Vocal Coach and Facilitator: With over three decades of experience, her unique perspective on vocal communication forms the foundation for her skill based speaking and training programs. Highlighting the importance of using your Voice for Positioning | Impact | Influence. Her strategies are innovative yet simple, with a clear framework that are unique to Speaking within the New World. Why? Lisa has studied vocal communication with the world’s best, performed as an opera singer and coached internationally for more than 30 years. The true richness in Lisa’s communication mastery comes from her profound battle with cancer not once, but twice, arousing a deeper exploration of how human beings communicate. With more than 20 years of research into alternative therapies and understanding of the inner voice, Lisa has combined her skill-based training with elements of survival, reinvention and core values, making her the expert on both the internal and external voices. Now, passionate about building confidence within the individual and organisations: Lisa’s life work is to Change Results and lives one tone at a time. From tweaking your embouchure to getting the most from your resonating cavities, Lisa knows the human voice intimately. Now, she distils this knowledge into useful communication skills training. Whether it is an intimate one-on-one negotiation or working with a room of staff. Lisa has the knowledge to improve your vocal intelligence, presentation, persuasion, negotiation and public speaking skills. How? Lisa knows your voice has the power to break a heart, seal the deal or change the world. But, do you? From the first day Lisa started speaking and coaching, the hearts and minds of the people she works with have been the centre of her business model.Her strategic approach helps you release a restricted voice, soften a forceful tone, strengthen a timid response, make a deeper connection and break down the barriers to effective communication. Today’s Topics: The importance of listening to yourself first. Attaching an internal voice to your external voice. How to listen and learn voice, listening, and emotional intelligence from an Opera singer. Remaining present on stage and bringing magic to the audience and understanding the conductor intimately. Being 125% ready or insecurity will step in and create tension in the body. Being intensely present, yet human and have humility. The conductor can hear the movement of the audience and tell if they are getting bored. Voice coaches help people have control over their voice and communicate on different levels. Six steps for improving your voice. Shift the mindset to understand what you are doing when speaking. You can change the way that you structure sound. Physical responses when listening to a voice which comes from vibration. Speaking with belief and leaving no room for interpretation. Synchronizing breathing for deeper listening and understanding. Breathing deeply and feeling intake of breath and bringing your brain into focus. Indicators of what is not being said such as gestures and body language. How deeply someone can listen, and the Armenian women speaking about Lisa. She was able to understand by observing and measuring the space between words. Lisa had learned all of the cues of timing and inflection and understood that they were talking about her. She is very attuned to what people speaking other languages need to speak English. An accent doesn’t hinder your ability to communicate it’s your intention and inflection. Feeling the pain and having empathy while listening and developing techniques and strategies to help younger people through the process of struggle. Asking questions about the lives of older people. Life attaches itself to the voice. For both men and women the emotion is just under the surface. For men, it is what is coming out of their mouths as opposed to tone. For women, listen with empathy. Learning to trust your gut and then daring to give it a voice. Being brave and doing what you are meant to do on this Earth. Listening for emotion with your right ear. Links and Resources: Lisa Lockland-Bell Lisa Lockland-Bell on LinkedIn Lisa Lockland-Bell on Facebook @LLocklandBell on Twitter Quotes: “I’m listening for the nuances and inflections. I’m listening for when you make a statement are you actually landing the voice with the inflection because that gives me a feel of whether you know what you are talking about.” Lisa Lockland Bell “I’m also listening for the way that you deliver and the timing and the cadence.” Lisa Lockland Bell “There’s a space between the words that changes everything. Notice the speed. Notice the space.” Lisa Lockland Bell Listen For Free

Broadcaster and Journalist Tracey Holmes explains how to listen across continents, cultures and context. We learn how to understand the role of preparation in bringing you into a state of complete listening to the speaker. For three decades, Tracey Holmes has been a journalist & broadcaster covering international news, current affairs and global sport. Her job has taken her around the globe, several times; she's lived and worked for extended periods in Hong Kong, Beijing, Abu Dhabi & Dubai for some of the world's most recognised organisations such as the ABC, SBS, CNN, China Central Television & Dubai Eye. She is an award winning interviewer, a published author and an educator. Currently Tracey works for the ABC presenting a daily international news & current affairs program and a weekly sports politics program, The Ticket. She is also senior lecturer in journalism at UTS, Sydney; senior mentor for the IOC Young Reporters program; and trainer for the joint ABC-Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade international program 'WINS'. Tracey is a board member of Volleyball Australia and The Greg Chappell Foundation & is an Ambassador for the Australian Museum and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. Today’s Topics: Listening to yourself and how a journalist prepares for an interview. How Tracey uses all of her senses to gauge how her interviews are going. The importance of asking others about who you are interviewing and how those perspectives will help you listen more deeply. Digging as deeply as Tracey can and then getting down to the essence of the interview. The life in the day of a broadcast journalist and understand the techniques required to stay focused. How to keep going when things don’t always go as you plan. What Asia can teach us all about listening. Watching what people do when learning a new language. The things that are said and the things that are unsaid. Listening with open eyes and open ears and an open heart. With radio people listen deeply and open up. How Tracey’s family went to South Africa to go on a surfing trip. How International journalists were more about humanity than economics at the Olympics. Making people from different places feel more comfortable. Going into meditation when not thinking about exploring. The importance of language and its syntax and context. Listening to history and art to connect better to the people and the culture. The role of learning from other cultures and the aboriginal nations. How her husbands grandfather was chained to a tree for using his native language. The Aboriginal people are good listeners and use space between words well. The importance of slowing down and listening completely. Being comfortable with silence. The story of Clinton Pryor and his 6000 KM trek across Australia. He walked from Perth to Canberra to meet Malcolm Turnbull. The importance of listening and trying to understand. You don’t always have to have an answer. How there is a lot of discussion in the middle that people will listen to. Using caution when describing people as role models. Listening for meaning and being genuinely curious. Tracey carries a microphone and records people who she thinks are interesting. Tracey’s interview with a homeless man who had a story. He shared why he was there, the problems in Australia, and that he worried about the same things we all worry about. You can look at everybody and take something away that makes you better and the overall picture better. Meditation and understanding what someone is going through. Going on a journey and then bringing it back. How Tracey works through the conversations beforehand. Links and Resources: Clinton Pryor News Radio Quotes: “With your ears you are not just listening. You are also seeing and feeling.” Tracey Holmes “I can tell when something is gripping because the people around stop doing their work and start listening.” Tracey Holmes “With all of your senses, you have to do all things.” Tracey Holmes Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

World class educator John Corrigan explains how to help children learn to listen. Learn the impact of your listening effectiveness when you notice the familiar and the different. John Corrigan is a world-class thought leader in education. John is an expert at listening in many dimensions, but the most powerful is as an educator. Today, we have a powerful conversation about helping children to focus and listen, not only during school  but for the rest of their lives.  I also share a fascinating lecture on effective listening and children. John is the founder and Principal of Group 8 Education. He specializes in helping individuals increase their effectiveness in the world around them. The steps involved include shifting our attention to rewire our brains, focusing on the wellbeing of others, and leading teams to empower and transform. John has used his education and background to implement change management in organizations and help education shape our capacity to engage in the world around us. Today’s Topics: John grew up in Manchester and his father was a headmaster at a school. John got a degree in mathematics, then joined the parachute regiment, he then became a wireline logging engineer in South America and around Europe. His thoughts about listening began to emerge as he was trying to learn French. He learned Spanish in South America. When he moved to Italy he focused on listening intently when Italian people spoke. This actually worked and he was able to learn Italian. When he listened he tried to identify the 400 main words of the language. He picked up the gestures and face expressions while listening intently. He pays attention to everything and his full attention is on the other person. Looking at someone's eyes can help focus attention. John moved to Sydney and started working in a change management program. Then he worked for an environmental group. He wanted to work in social change and stumbled upon education as his calling. An extraordinary teacher who understands how to listen can impact a child for their entire life. By listening fully I was able to encourage my son to modify his behavior for success in school and life. Listening by paying full attention. This makes the speaker feel you care about them and they should care about you in their response. Using the familiar form of listening. To learn language effectively use the seeking difference mode. Our brains aren’t fully developed until our twenties. The childhood mind is based on the more primitive parts of the brain. The adult mind is based on the whole brain and is self aware and can manage impulses. Three phases of education models. Education leads the child out of the childhood mind to the adult mind. Allowing the childhood mind to exist in parallel with the emerging adult mind. The childhood mind fades away and a young adult emerges. Asking different questions based on the model. Links and Resources: Are We Listening To Our Children? Group 8 Education Quotes: “I was interested in organizations where the relationship between the employee and the customer where a large part of the value.” John Corrigan “I interviewed a number of teachers, and found a teacher who left a lifelong impact. I discovered that she was listening fully and not judging while responding with kindness and compassion.” John Corrigan “Outstanding teachers listen and pay full attention.” John Corrigan Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

Bronwyn Law is a family advisor in the funeral industry, and today we explore the role of empathy in listening. Bronwyn deals with conversations at the end of people’s lives. This role has given her an extraordinary sense of empathy and lack of assumptions. She has to display absolute presence when helping families make the difficult decisions when emotions are high and people are vulnerable.  This was probably one of the most transformational interviews that I have been a part of. Today’s Topics: Bronwyn shares how she does her job and creates space for people to decide what they would like to do. How Bronwyn knows the pain and depth of sadness of losing a loved one. Bronwyn shares her childhood and background and how she lost her brother when he was 15. Bronwyn also shares her cancer diagnoses when she was 14 and how it was a life changing experience that helped her mature. How Bronwyn became involved in the Make a Wish Foundation. She also shares her life changing experience in Nepal. How Bronwyn’s brother seemed to be doing well before his suicide. The role of silence and the questions that Bronwyn answers for people. The importance of not only listening to the words, but also understanding the meaning of the words as expressed by that person. Doing your best is the last thing you can do in the person’s honor. The balance between it being about the person and for yourself as well. How it is important to listen from a place of real genuine interest. The opportunity of hearing the story of what people have been through. Being present with people as they make necessary decisions to remember their loved one. How the death of a spouse after a long marriage of 50 plus years can be very emotional. Bronwyn is all four listening types. We can all be a lost listener when we are preoccupied. There is a real art to being present. Always take a deep breath before walking into a room and meeting with someone. The 5Rhythms dynamic movement process and Gabrielle Roth. How everything we do in life leaves a rhythm. Listening is not about you, it is all about the other person. The importance of building a connection, dropping assumptions, and being present and available. Links and Resources: Make-A-Wish Foundation Australia 5Rhythms Gabrielle Roth Quotes: “I can sit in a room with someone and be genuinely grateful that I am not in the spot that they are in.” Bronwyn Law “What I enjoy about my job and what gives me satisfaction is creating space for people to consider what they would like to do.” Bronwyn Law “When you meet with someone there are ways to communicate other than words.” Bronwyn Law Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

It is so important to be able to focus when listening for an extended time. Adam Purcell shares his unique perspective on this as an air traffic controller. He also shares how his career path was discovered through a World War II log book, and how it changed the entire course of his life. Adam Purcell is an enroute air traffic controller in the Melbourne Air Traffic Services Centre. The aviation bug bit at a young age, while Adam was growing up in the NSW Southern Highlands. He Learned to fly shortly after finishing high school and holds a Bachelor of Aviation from the University of New South Wales, and he worked in airline operations in Sydney before moving into air traffic control. A qualified controller for five years, he has recently returned to operational work after completing an 18-month secondment as an instructor, teaching trainees at the Air Traffic Control training facility in Melbourne. Outside of work, Adam has a keen interest in WWII Air Force history, and he has interviewed many veterans of the strategic night bombing campaign for a UK-based archive. He is also a keen photographer. Today’s Topics: What a day in the life of an air traffic controller is like. The importance of the read back and actively listening. Overcoming internal and external distractions. Keeping instructions straight forward and slowing down with International pilots. How old memories can spark a tangent and those are the stories that trigger another story. The importance of longer pauses and asking fewer questions to get more out of an interview. The role of silence can be awkward, but it is also an important interview element. Being aware of your audience when you look at them and how visual cues may not mean what you first think they mean. How recall takes time. The lost listener who moves on during the read backs and not monitoring what he is hearing. How there are consequences of not listening for air traffic controllers and the pilots and planes. The power of high standards for listening. Links and Resources: Adam Purcell International Bomber Command Centre Something Very Big Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

In this episode of Deep Listening, we have the opportunity to listen to Eva Hussain who is an accredited NAATI translator and foreign interpreter. She is also the founder and CEO of Polaron a language services provider. The mission of Polaron is to transform the language services sector and be the leading authority on European citizenship worldwide. The company has seen steady growth since Eva has been managing it. Eva’s voluntary roles include founding member of Australasian Association of Language Companies, deputy president of the Australian Society of Polish Jews and secretary of Polish Community Services of Victoria. Eva is originally from Poland and wants to solve complex communication problems between different cultures and geographical areas. She speaks 6 or 7 languages, but English and Polish are her strongest languages. Listen in as Eva shares her story and communication philosophy. Today’s Topics: Eva always wanted to immigrate to Australia, but started out in France first. Her first few years in Australia were incredibly difficult even though it was her desire to integrate. Interpreters are actors who act out other people’s words. What comes out of the mouth of an interpreter needs to represent the intent and meaning. It’s like a loop where the language is stored on the interpreter’s brain and then transformed into a different language and conveyed to the listener. There are no opinions. To practice interpreting watch the news and pause it for 30 seconds and then repeat what was just said. Preparation for interpreting includes self care and preparing oneself on an emotional level. Some interpretation jobs can be quite difficult emotionally, such as when someone is in a life and death situation. Acting professionally at all times no matter how difficult it is. Breathing techniques can be used to calm the interpreter down. Being assertive and asking for breaks is also important. The importance of understanding context and getting what is unsaid. In difficult situations the best thing that an interpreter can do is to do justice to the words. Be very conscious of not being judgemental. The four villains of listening are the lost listener, the interrupting listener, the shrewd listener, and the dramatic listener. For Eva, the interrupter is the worst. Give people from other cultures space to get their point across. Links and Resources: NAATI Polaron Eva Hussain facebook Eva Hussain LinkedIn Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

Today, I have a conversation with acoustic engineer and soundscape designer Mitch Allen. He has over 10 years experience as an acoustic engineer and is currently spearheading the business offering of Soundscape Design for Arup within the Australasian region. He is also the founder of One Two Studios a music production company that specializes in bespoke royalty free music. Mitch has been commissioned for various local and International soundscape installations, and he is passionate about sound design in urban environments. In this episode, he takes us to the jungles of Bali to illustrate that listening is not something we just do with our ears, it is a multi-sensory experience. Mitch shares the dimensions of the role of a soundscape designer. He talks about the differences between creating soundscapes in modern industrial environments and yoga studios. This is an amazing show, not only because of what Mitch says, but how he says it. Today’s Topics: Acoustic engineers solve acoustic challenges of a place or area. Mitch solves problems such as mitigating noise or vibration. Mitch likes to create a desirable sound experience and that is why he started calling what he actually does as soundscape design. Restaurants are often challenging environments for communication. These areas need to have a positive soundscape, but it is hard to satisfy everyone’s desires. A desirable soundscape is attached to the intent of the purpose of the area. For the Vivid Sydney project Mitch took sounds from the Harbor and transformed them into sounds of the future. Mitch shares how the yoga studio sound he designed needed a hum and he used a 40 hertz sound of a crystal himalayan Mitch had a challenging yoga studio soundscape design where the owners wanted a 40 hertz hum playing throughout the area, but it didn’t sound right. Mitch solved the problem by using a recording from a crystal Himalayan singing bowl and adjusting the frequency. Sound is just a form of energy in a vibrational frequency in a range that we can hear. The frequencies are the oscillating waves or vibration in the air. Our ears pick up the vibration and it is converted to sound energy. Noise is unwanted sound. Sound is something that you can choose to hear or ignore. Using natural soundscapes as opposed to sound masking in an office environment to minimize the distractions. To prepare for listening it is a good idea to remove or be aware of the internal dialogue. Embracing the full body experience of listening or the sounds that Mitch feels as he experiences the world. Links and Resources: One Two Studios Mitch Allen LinkedIn Mitch Allen Blog Loftus Precinct Vivid Sydney Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free

Christina Rostworowski da Costa is a professional interpreter and translator from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Christina translates Portuguese, English, French, and Italian. She has worked in boardrooms, meeting rooms, and a variety of venues as she helps translate meetings, deals, high-stakes negotiations, and even arbitration. Today, Christina shares tips, tricks, and hacks on how to listen deeply and be empathetic without letting that cloud her interpretation of the words. She talks about breathing technique and being completely available to the conversation. The goal is to stay focused on the content and the person speaking. She also shares a story of poise and heroism about her grandmother who was a secret agent and translator in Poland during World War II. Today’s Topics: The difference between an interpreter and a translator. How Christina was raised in a bilingual environment and switching languages was common. Christina shares how her grandmother was a key interpreter helping the Allies in World War II Poland. How Christina prepares and handles the pressure of interpreting for high-stakes corporate meetings. Christina meditates every morning where she sits down and focuses and pictures the day ahead of her. Examples of vocal exercises that Christina uses to warm up her voice. Deep listening and synchronizing your breath with the speaker. The silence of the interpretation booth and connecting to the speaker. The challenge of dealing with jokes and curse words. How it is key to establish initial contact with the speaker. Taking on different tones and intonations for each speaker. The differences between listening, understanding, and remembering. Interpreters can’t be distracted and can’t waste their focus. The four listening types: the lost listener, the shrewd listener, the interrupting listener, and the dramatic listener. Links and Resources: Christina Rostworowski da Costa Christina on LinkedIn Quotes: “In theory, interpretation should be unbiased, yet it is a challenge.” Christina Rostworowski da Costa “Part of what I do is engage with the person and connect in one way or another.” Christina Rostworowski da Costa “Breathing is absolutely essential. I go through the classic meditation and breathing routine.” Christina Rostworowski da Costa Want to create a big impact? Subscribe to the Deep Listening podcast and never miss an episode. Listen For Free