listening SUPERPOWER podcast

Let's span the globe with listening activities that focus on creating and strengthening connections. Listen to connect. Mentioned Resource: 2021 IDL THEME: LISTEN TO CONNECT IDL 2021 will be held on September 16, 2021. Connect with Raquel: Website: https://listeningalchemy.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raquel-ark-b2067613/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Listening-Alchemy-200172590449210/?ref=page_internal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listening_alchemy

Too many interruptions are taking us away from what truly matters. We also see leaders afraid to listen. And this blocks the dynamics of listening, preventing a decision to trickle down to the lower echelons of the organization. Sense-making is a process that uses listening as a tool to foster learning that encompasses innovation, creativity, and transformation. It supports all voices being heard and leads to successful business outcomes while having positive societal impact and a sense of belonging. Dr. Gemma Jiang is the founding director of the Organizational Innovation Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. As a complexity leadership scholar and practitioner, Gemma is committed to bridging the "knowing-doing" gap by building capacity for addressing complex social challenges. She is involved in a diverse set of projects, including a National Science Foundation-funded convergence research project on circular economy and two Pittsburgh locally funded projects: the Pitt u.lab hub and the Adaptive Space. In this episode, Gemma shares how projects she started, like, 'Let's do lunch' and 'Ideation Expo', set the tone for sense-making in its true meaning. Voices from the bottom are heard and listened to; fear barriers are broken, their concerns and aspirations taken into consideration. A picture of bottom-up and top-down interaction through listening can create an environment of learning and belonging. "Listening engenders belonging. Learning and belonging mutually reinforce each other." - Gemma Jiang Listen IN Notes: 00:01 - One of the key tools in sense-making: listening to each other and listening to the environment, making sense of it, and making adaptive changes based on what you hear. 02:35 - Relational measures and ecosystem awareness: how individuals work together with fellow team members. 06:05 - How you make sense of the ecosystem: you develop your relationship with the community you're a part of no matter how small or big. 08:17 - Understanding a bigger system through giving and receiving. Speaking through dialogues. 10:24 - Why everybody is so busy: there is not enough sense-making. 13:02 - An initiative she started called 'Let's do Lunch' -- a very bottom-up approach to listening. 17:36 - What is this 'Ideation Expo' she created -- where the bottom-up dynamic meets the top-down dynamics. 21:14 - Turning fear into taking action 24:27 - Do you listen to the fear, or do you listen to one's future highest potential? 25:06 - Where she experienced the power of listening: Asian culture gives more emphasis on listening versus the western culture 27:24 - The importance of sense-making where once you start to see things differently, the solution surfaces. 31:43 - Questions she asks in her research: How might organizations create enabling conditions to center listening and questioning? 32:20 - Where this question led her: Learning is only part of the story. The other part of the story is belonging. 36:20 - Listen to your people, they might have the answer. 37:05 - How can leaders listen to their people? 40:05 - Why are leaders afraid to listen? 42:56 - What are adaptive spaces and how can they support organizations? 49:49 - What does adaptive spaces encompass other than the physical space? 55:39 - How is listening tied to gratitude? Key Takeaways: "I think people...are too busy with action-taking. And that action-taking...is almost like a group of arrows, shooting out and around at the same time. There's no coordination, and there's no coherence in it. And the arrows are canceling each other out...That's why everybody's so busy; you are busy canceling out each other's efforts." - Gemma Jiang "The mirroring back was absolutely amazing. It was like I became an owl; it's like I had a 360 view of the events. I was able to see perspectives and aspects of my challenge that I would never be able to see with my own perspective." - Gemma Jiang "When everybody listens from their perspective, and when they mirror that back, it helps you to see your situation differently. It also helps you to see where the listener comes from. It's like all of a sudden multiple lightbulbs came out. I came to know myself better, my situation better, and also I came to know my listeners better." - Gemma Jiang "If you have a question, listen to your people; they might have the answer." - Gemma Jiang "A lot of times, we have this illusion that if you are a leader, you have a lot of space. But I think the reality, especially in more hierarchical organizations, it's totally opposite. The higher you are in the hierarchy, the less room you have to be creative. What's more, the system demands you to carry on the agenda of the system." - Gemma Jiang "Adaptive space stands in between the bottom-up dynamic, which we call adaptive leadership, and top-down dynamic, which we call administrative leadership. And adaptive space stands right in between these two and connects them." - Gemma Jiang "I often tie listening with gratitude. Because it's a rare connection. It's a weird connection. But, in my mind, it makes sense because they are both in a state of receivership." - Gemma Jiang "Organizational transformation is grounded in individual transformation. One message is probably to investigate and examine personal relationships with listening, and then bring those new insights into organizations and into any relationship that we are part of, what a transformative effect it has." - Gemma Jiang Notes/Mentions: Theory U by Otto Scharmer: https://www.ottoscharmer.com/sites/default/files/Witten_Mindful_Leadership_h.pdf Otto Scharmer: https://www.ottoscharmer.com/ Connect with Gemma Jiang: LinkedIn Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Have you ever noticed how rushing conversations and negotiations can create unnecessary misunderstandings? Or even cause us to miss the point which can lead to critical business outcomes? How can you intentionally listen leading to more effective, innovative solutions? Feedback loops integrating asking, listening, connecting and developing are key towards successful negotiations and building strong business relationships. With over 30 years of international business management experience, Juergen Scherer shares how he puts this into practice and how this has had a huge impact in the business world. He is a Business Consultant, Coach and Lecturer at BXB Exchange, and a Senior Executive & Member of Executive Committees. His experience ranges in many areas with a strong focus on Sales, Key Account Management, and Procurement / Supply Chain Management within Global FMCG, Chemical and Industrial Packaging Industries. In this episode, Juergen talks about reflective listening and how it is needed for negotiation and sales with business partners to reach a win-win-win solution. "Listening is a core element. And it's often overlooked...It is a combination of asking, listening, connecting, and developing." - Juergen Scherer Listen IN Notes: 00:39 - Talking about his first conscious recognition of the power of listening: reference to Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, particularly one which says, 'Seek first to understand, then to be understood.' 03:16 - One exercise that struck him the most on the power of listening: a seller-buyer negotiation role-play called the orange quarrel 07:13 - Listening as a significant step in combination with other steps you need to develop relationships important for negotiating with your business partners. 10:34 - What is reflective listening, and how does this help in the conversation or negotiation process? 16:04 - How superficial conversations leads to massive misunderstandings 20:25 - Reflection on the pace Juergen speaks: One way to give your own thinking enough time even as you speak. 21:44 - Referencing material by a marketing professor talking about the responsibility that comes with saying, 'I understand.' 24:51 - Why is it not good enough to ask a question with a yes or no answer: a classic example for a closed question. 28:05 - Deepening relationships between companies more than just being transactional 30:56 - 'Connect and develop' -- Juergen shares his personal experience with Procter & Gamble and the start of open innovation among companies 35:56 - How to understand unmet or unspoken needs -- asking open questions, listening, ensuring that there is some understanding is the starting point for developing the solution. 39:10 - Creating innovation, ideas, and solutions and nurturing relationships 40:46 - Advice for people just starting out in their careers: Self-awareness of those aspects of listening, seek out training opportunities, practice each and every day and seek out feedback. Key Takeaways: "Listening is a core element. And it's often overlooked. But it only makes sense, and it only is a component of moving forward and achieving something if it is in a sequence of activities. It is a combination of asking, listening, connecting, and developing." - Juergen Scherer "Everything in a relationship, not only in a business relationship...is built on mutual trust. And this is where I believe listening has an enormous influence as a trust-building factor." - Juergen Scherer "The reality is, two-thirds of global trade is in business to business...And in a B2B context, what we are talking about is a continuous process over days, weeks, months, years. It is a constant coming back to conversations, to negotiations, to trust-building steps, to relationship management, and back to the listening aspect." - Juergen Scherer "What we both agreed on as mutual understanding a week ago might have changed. So don't assume that once you have achieved this understanding, it will stay forever. It won't. Because all our life circumstances and business circumstances are moving targets. We know that, and new things could have happened. So I need to start over and reassure. And again, ask, listen, and understand before I move forward." - Juergen Scherer "The open question asking, the listening, the ensuring that there is some understanding is the starting point for developing the solution." - Juergen Scherer Notes/Mentions: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey: https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/0743269519 The Harvard Business and the Harvard Law School: https://hls.harvard.edu/dept/academics/degree-programs/special-programs/joint-jd-master-degree-programs/joint-degree-program-in-law-business/#hlsnav-overview Getting to Yes: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Yes-Negotiating-Agreement-Without/dp/0143118757 Connect with Juergen Scherer: bxb-exchange.com/ LinkedIn Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Listening unites and connects us. Taking time to stop and listen to others, despite culture, race, sexual orientation, views, can create a deep human connection even when we have strong differences of opinions. The powerful transformation brought by listening is one of the simple changes the world never knew we actually needed. No limitations, no differences, just human connection and acceptance through listening. Juliana Tafur is the creator of Listen Courageously, award-winning filmmaker of "List(e)n", board member of the International Listening Association, and former Discovery networks content executive. She is convinced that listening to stories has the ability to change us. She has been on a listening journey since producing "List(e)n", a documentary that brings together people on opposite ends of the spectrum to connect at a human level and transcend their differences. She's the CEO of Story Powerhouse, and via award-winning films creates safe spaces for employees at organizations and academic institutions to share, listen to each other and learn skills to cope with today's challenges. "Listening is transformative. It's the most powerful thing that anyone can engage in. And it's so simple, but we don't know enough about it. And we are not given opportunities where we can engage in pure, deep, and sincere present empathetic listening." - Juliana Tafur Listen IN Notes: 00:33 - Julianna shares the first time she realized the importance and impact of listening 03:13 - What did Juliana do after noticing the undeniable power of listening? 04:21 - All about Juliana's Listening Courageously Workshops and how it has influenced people 12:54 - Where does the feeling of satisfying relief come from after taking Juliana's workshop? 14:57 - Juliana talks about communication boundaries and listening problems at an organizational level 17:24 - What do organizations and NGOs ask and what do they receive afterward? 22:22 - Juliana shares what drives her forward in pursuing listening and helping people to understand its powerful value 26:12 - Words to describe Juliana is bringing her whole self to her work 27:55 - The realizations and learnings of Juliana after creating a micro-universe that beautifully shares the power of listening 30:23 - Juliana shares what she would love to understand more about listening 32:14 - Juliana talks about the common questions she's been asked in workshops 36:29 - Juliana's ideas and thoughts on how listening can be implemented or happen more in organizations Key Takeaways: "We connect at a human level with people, regardless of who we are, where we come from, and who they are, or what their story is." - Juliana Tafur "When we listen courageously, when we step out of our comfort zones and understand that at the end of that discomfort of, "You believe this. I believe that. We're never going to agree." ...there might be a sense of relief when we stop to get to know each other." - Juliana Tafur "A lot of people don't think it's possible to connect across our divides and across our differences as people. And they are relieved, because we're all so tired of it, whether we want to recognize it, acknowledge it or not. We're just exhausted." - Juliana Tafur "(Listening) is more about creating spaces for people to voice concerns, to voice what they have gone through." - Juliana Tafur "We are all recognizing that we are not separate from what is happening around us." - Juliana Tafur "By creating spaces where people are sharing what has impacted them, we are opening the door for them to do the same when they go back to work. We are opening the door for people to acknowledge..."This has happened to me...because of the color of my skin or my race or cultural background." - Juliana Tafur "We are actually suggesting that...those things that have shaped us and matter to us also inform what we bring to the workplace, the way that we see things, decisions, creativity. We bring solutions that we might contribute with passion, especially things that we care deeply about, because of what we have gone through or experienced in life." - Juliana Tafur Connect with Juliana Tafur: Website: https://listencourageously.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listen.courageously/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listen.courageously/ Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianatafur/ Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Consider a time when you spent a lot of time and resources with a group trying to solve a problem, and it seemed like nothing happened as a result. You didn't feel valued and thought you wasted your time. You wouldn't do that again. Annie brings clarity as to why this happens in the decision-making process and what the bigger story may be. She helps us consider our role of listening as a leader and how to move beyond checking off the listening box to instead be an effective leader, inspiring people to continue to be engaged in the work that matters. Annie Rappeport is a current International Education and Policy Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park and an Ann C. Wylie Dissertation Fellow for 2021. Her research focus areas are memory construction, peacebuilding and conflict transformation after conflict and natural disasters. In 2020, Annie received the University of Maryland Outstanding Graduate Student Distinguished Service award for her two years of service as the Graduate Student Government President, as an active representative on university task forces related to mental health, affordability and access in higher education, diversity and inclusion and civic engagement. Annie is an active member of the International Listening Association and the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation furthering her commitment to the value of listening based servant leadership and community engagement. Alongside her dissertation, Annie pursues research related to strategic listening and effective dialogue towards health democracies in the United States and in the Israeli-Palestinian context. Her work in dialogue and listening in healthcare settings led her to Dublin, Ireland to speak for the International Listening Association. Annie has testified repeatedly at the Maryland General Assembly for student related issues including the Student Voter Empowerment Act and the Right for Graduate Student Employees to Collectively Bargain. In this episode, be surprised at how listening catalysed a shy, quiet person into a strong leader working with complex situations. Annie will share her story as well as help you to understand better what is needed so that the value of listening is not lost. Annie also talks about how power plays a role and how to work around those who choose not to listen. She touches on the non-verbal form of listening, where breathing is one way to cue into what's going on in another person's mind and heart. She also talks about a balanced way of having a dialogue-focused listening conversation where you not only take in what others have to offer; you also contribute to enhancing communication for better decision-making and change. "Human relationships are what matter. And being authentic, learning about the people you're working with, the people you represent, the people you lead, and following through with them and showing your gratitude to them are the whole cycle. And it needs to happen over and over." - Annie Rappeport Listen IN Notes: 01:46 - Annie shares her interesting childhood experiences of listening, which now has a huge influence on how she listens. 04:42 - She shares how she was always shy, curious and in an listening absorption mode to best relate to the circumstances. 06:12 - That pivotal (and scary) moment that influenced her approach to listening where listening and having a voice is now more balanced - she calls this dialogue-focused. 11:52 - Listening as the core to about every area; also listening to nonverbal cues 13:00 - Annie shares how breathing and listening interplay. 16:24 - How this listening approach helps in education: the shift from absorption to a more participatory mode 20:12 - Leadership is listening to the environment, and being in tune with your community as well. 22:55 - One impactful listening experience she has: ongoing research projects understanding better the efforts of peace-based organizations that are centered around listening, specifically between communities in the Middle East, in Israel and Palestine. She shares examples of how to help listening be possible, also in extreme circumstances of conflict and how this supports overall leadership development. 29:40 - Power dynamics: How it impacts how much people are willing to share, listen, and act upon what they're hearing. 31:07 - What does it mean for leaders to listen and not just check off a box? 37:35 - Understanding the power dynamics to help get positive ideas to come alive. 46:16 - A missed opportunity: when elements of a discussion had been integrated into a decision, but it never got relayed back to those who were part of the conversation. 52:17 - Why it's important to be aware of these gaps: the need for follow through after being in the listening sessions 53:04 - Annie's nugget of wisdom that could impact you personally and at work: Be the leader in your world, wherever that is. That you are making sure those gaps don't happen. 58:23 - How to listen being curious with empathy and compassion: taking a moment to unlearn your preconceived notions, and making yourself a blank slate, even if it's just for a moment Key Takeaways: "Listening just to how the people around you are breathing can really tell you so much about where they are in their minds or in their hearts." - Annie Rappeport "When people feel listened to, it just changes everything." - Annie Rappeport "Those one-on-one conversations are what people remember; it's how I've been able to keep in touch with and have long-lasting relationships with the people I work with, which is meaningful, personally, to me. It made me, more importantly, effective as a leader; I remember them as a person...And I know at a meta-level, that helps me truly advocate for them better." - Annie Rappeport "If you're able to, before you ask a critical question, take a moment to pause and wipe your brain clean of your preconceived notions. It can make for some incredible moments of mutual understanding. And I think those are important in dialogue and listening scenarios." - Annie Rappeport Notes / Mentions: New Story Leadership: https://www.newstoryleadership.org/our-vision Connect with Annie Rappaport: LinkedIn arappepo@terpmail.umd.edu Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Being a leader in a Vuca (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world is not easy and according to Susanne Marell, requires listening. And listening takes different forms. Listening to the market and customer trends, listening to my team needs, listening to individual needs and listening to feedback from my team, not to mention the questions that arise. How can we listen in a way that gives us energy to think strategically and create success in a company, even through challenging mergers and acquisitions. Susanne Marell is CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Germany. Before joining H+K she was Managing Director at JP KOM and prior to that she served as CEO of Edelman for six years, overseeing the acquisition and merger with ergo Kommunikation. She started her career as a consultant with the agency Kohtes & Klewes (now Ketchum). In the following years, Marell worked for companies such as Schering, Hoechst and Aventis CropScience. As Head of Communications and Market Services, her responsibilities included strategic communications support for merger and acquisition activities. In 2000, she moved to the chemical company Cognis and, as Vice President Corporate Communications, took over the management of worldwide corporate and sustainability communications. Following the acquisition of Cognis by BASF in 2010, Susanne was responsible for global brand management as Vice President Corporate Brand Management at BASF in Ludwigshafen. Susanne is a certified systemic consultant and change expert. She has many years of international experience in communications, marketing and sustainability, both on the corporate and agency side. In addition, she is a co-founder of the German network of "Global Women in PR" and has built up the initiative "Next Gen Leadership" as a member of the extended board. In this episode, Susanne Marell shares how continuous feedback is needed to be a great leader; it helps you listen to make a more objective assessment while keeping you on the pulse of the organization, what your team needs and how you can move together towards a common goal with market trends top of mind. She points out that psychological safety, where people are provided a safe space to be heard without fear of consequences, ensures open and honest feedback. She also highlights the importance of leaders understanding market and customer trends first when leading teams. She calls this an outside-in approach so that you can understand the bigger picture around what you want to achieve by listening to all the stakeholders. "A leader needs feedback to be a good leader." - Susanne Marell Listen IN Notes: 01:10 - The first time she experienced being a communication practitioner and becoming a good leader 02:40 - Only by listening in a new business model will you be able to understand the context and how things play together 05:14 - How listening supported her leadership role as being part of an integration team 9:25 - To better understand what is behind any criticism and feedback: You must learn how to frame things, dig into the details, and learn the context of what you put in your story line,. If they [colleagues] are positive towards you, they will stress test your vision. 13:57 - Feedback being the highest value for a leader 16:46 - Providing psychological safety in leadership sessions 19:13 - Going in front of people [employees and investors] even in uncertain times and you don't know all the answers 21:28 - What it means to be a leader in a VUCA world 23:13 - Focusing your team on the outside in 24:56 - Giving a Northstar is just as important as giving people the 100 criteria 27:08 - What does being agile in today's world mean? 37:50 - He who poses the questions is the one who leads 43:28 - One listening style: Posing questions on a 360 degree angle 45:23 - Having a full scope of questions beyond Zoom meetings avoids risks in losing so many things 47:48 - Finding the right way to be on the pulse of your organization, of your teams, and of your decisions 49:43 - Creative ways you can do where voices are heard outside of work environment 51:38 - Is listening agreeing to what people say? Key Takeaways: "In all of these projects, where I was part of integration teams, I simply had to listen very well first to give a good recommendation about how we could integrate teams. But also to develop the vision of why these companies work together and put this vision in a storyline, which would be understood by all people globally." - Susanne Marell "Feedback is something which is of the highest value for a leader. If I'm getting feedback, this helps me to develop, but it also helps me to give a better analysis of where my team stands where my plans stand." - Susanne Marell "The positive part of listening is you get feedback." - Susanne Marell "Leading in uncertain times simply means that you have to navigate your team through those times as best as possible, even if you don't always have the answers." - Susanne Marell "It is best to tackle with trust. Because if I trust my people that they will strive for the best solutions, they will come to me for guidance, then it's easier for me to decide without having all the facts." - Susanne Marell "Your North Star is of even bigger importance. Because if you have the direction clear where you would like to go, then at least you have a kind of decision corridor, even if you do not all have the facts and things are changing." - Susanne Marell "When we just focus on Zoom teams and just checking where we stand with our business, we will lose so many things. Now we have a full scope of questions adjusted to the person I talked to." - Susanne Marell Connect with Susanne Marell: LinkedIn https://www.hkstrategies.com/ Facebook Instagram Twitter Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Have you ever paid attention to the assumptions we have in our conversations with different people? Often when we're listening to another person tell their story, we're listening for the things that we want to hear rather than what the other person is trying to show us at that moment. This bias blocks our listening fully to the other person. Lori Joubert takes us on a deep dive into the art of listening and how we can listen towards a better world of understanding. In this episode, Lori talks about her idea of what good listening is, the importance of being heard by people and equally hearing them and their stories. She also speaks about what is at stake if we don't keep moving toward a listening culture. She explains how she practices being present and also shares insights on how you can become part of the solution – how you can practice listening as a powerful tool for people to experience in life. Lori Joubert is a dedicated coach, facilitator, trainer, and Certified Listening Professional with over 20 years of experience leading and managing groups and individuals with an emphasis on listening. She received her degrees in Speech Communications from the University of Washington. Since then she has taught, modeled and promoted good listening in several arenas. She has served on the board of the International Listening Association (ILA) in different roles, recently as president. Lori brings a deep desire to serve and a commitment to seeing all sides of every situation. She enjoys bringing people together for the benefit of building healthy and successful relationships. She is naturally curious about people and passionate about listening as an essential human activity. Her big vision is to really sustain people's connection through listening and continue to build listening more through genuine and meaningful relationships. She believes that by being part of a community that wholeheartedly believes that listening has a meaningful and powerful place in organizations and in our life, she's able to live life better and be of help to others. "Silence is not inactive; it's actually active. There is a lot going on within the silence that we underestimate all the time...a lot of good listening is happening in moments of silence." – Lori Joubert Grow Your Listening Superpower for Lasting Impact! Coming Soon in May 2021! Learn and practice 7 Listening Superpowers that really work. Sign-up to the mailing list and get a chance for a 30% discount if you mention that you heard the details of the workshop from the Listen IN podcast: Go to https://www.listeningalchemy.com/ Now. Valuable Resource: Kate Murphy's "You're Not Listening: Here's What You're Missing and Why It Matters" International Listening Association (ILA) Listen IN Notes: 0:41 – Lori Joubert and her role in the International Listening Association: its mission and her vision. 02:06 – The memory where she truly realized the power of listening: a casual conversation with a friend who appeared to be genuinely listening and curious about what she was saying. 04:13 – How Lori has been influential with listening and a book that has been influencing her at the moment. 07:43 – Awareness about checking assumptions when talking with people. 11:34 – The healthcare setting and the respectful listening that happens; Having people specifically ask for listening. 14:13 – The strategy she uses to help her listen in a way that is supportive: being relaxed and open. 18:40 – Lori and her work with research and writing: how listening is taught in large complex organizations. 22:50 – What is her version of what good listening means and the presence of good listening in silence. 28:37 – How to make sure your voice is heard even when you're under pressure. 31:00 – Listening and the cultural norms: the organizational structure and training for listening. 37:58 – Her new realizations and thoughts after answering the questions in this episode. 39:05 – What Lori already knows on how she can help: being available for people and sharing her resources. Key Takeaways: "Oftentimes, when we're listening to another person tell their story, we're listening for the things that we want to hear, rather than listening for what the other person is trying to show us at that moment; and that blocks listening." – Lori Joubert "If you walk into a conversation with some sort of notion already of how you think that conversation's gonna go, you've already stopped listening." – Lori Joubert "Learning one's culture is significant to listening. It helps you adapt and become a better listener." – Lori Joubert "Don't give up. If you've gotta handle on something that's working in the way you listen, or you see others are listening, or the way you see listening is being taught in your organization, stick with it, carry on, and keep looking at how to make it grow." – Lori Joubert Notes/Mentions: Kate Murphy's "You're Not Listening: Here's What You're Missing and Why It Matters" International Listening Association (ILA) Connect with Lori Jubert: lori.joubert@listen.org Website: https://listen.org Linkedin Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: +491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Imagine software that can be used to cultivate meaningful connections online. According to Lorenz Sell, this is possible by creating a container where small groups can deeply "listen" to each other, both sync and async. 95% of people who engage in online learning are likely to drop out. In this episode, Lorenz Sell shares how it is possible to create impactful learning experiences online through deep listening in ways that may surprise you and in turn gain 100% engagement. He shares his story when he first recognized the importance of integrating listening into small groups, and how this inspires him when he writes code. He talks about his insights on the importance and effectiveness of tracking how you listen over time, and the unique force small groups bring in engaging individuals so that they experience a deep and genuine sense of connection. Lorenz describes his entrepreneurial journey and how deep listening has played a role. Not only has he learned a lot about himself and his internal landscape, he has also learned about what happens with others when you listen in various ways, what happens when people listen to you, and how this has inspired his drive to make possible generative listening in the online environment. His participation with the ulab program of the Presencing Institute back in 2015 gave him his first encounter with strangers online where he felt a deep sense of connection. Since then, he strives to provide people the life-changing power of a heartfelt relationship in small groups. Lorenz Sell is the co-founder of Sutra – an all in one course and community solution for heart centered educators. His interest in community dynamics began after attending the Burning Man Festival in 2007. He has spent almost two decades building technology companies and has a deep interest in online. Sutra has supported programs at the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, leadership programs at the UN and the Presencing Institute, as well as many other organizations and individuals. Together with his partner and co-founder, Lorenz has helped hundreds of people create impactful learning experiences online. He is a certified yoga teacher and received a degree in Computer Engineering from Tufts University. "In my world view, the path to peace was to keep listening. The path to peace was cultivating a capacity to truly receive one another – to truly listen at a much deeper level." – Lorenz Sell Grow Your Listening Superpower for Lasting Impact! Coming Soon in May 2021! Learn and practice 7 Listening Superpowers that really work. Sign-up to the mailing list and get a chance for a 30% discount if you mention that you heard the details of the workshop from the Listen IN podcast: Go to https://www.listeningalchemy.com/ Now. Valuable Resource: Transformational Teaching Online at https://transformation.sutra.co https://www.presencing.org Listen IN Notes: 0:27 – The first time Lorenz noticed the real essence of listening: His experience with the Presencing Institute's u.lab program where the four levels of listening was emphasized. 02:24 – The four levels of listening discussed by the Presencing Institute: (1) Downloading, (2) Factual Listening, (3) Empathic Listening, and the (4) Generative Listening. 03:20 – The moment he first heard of these four levels of listening and when he experienced what those levels meant for him. 08:28 – The back story of all these: the experience that really brought his awareness to the possibility of peace. 15:05 – What is different with online connection and what he learned about creating experiences for deep levels of communication. 19:32 – Lorenz talks about his company Sutra and what it does: how to bring more relevant human connections around the world and connect people in communities to share knowledge. 22:45 – How unique Sutra is from other platforms: The heart of all their work revolves in creating spaces where there is a deep level of presence and connection between participants as they share in small groups. 29:49 – The similarity of visual drawings to the tagging feature of Sutra: allowing people to see what just happened in the conversation. 32:04 – The complexity of online communities. There's no magic formula to do everything. 35:04 – Lorenz's advice for younger engineers in relation to creating code that can have impact on deep connection. 39:21 – The mentorship program: Transformational Teaching Online. Key Takeaways: "If you don't know listening as a thing, then you can't really practice it." – Lorenz Sell "One of the ways that people can feel deeply connected is when they create something together." – Lorenz Sell "Conversations can be unstructured and in a chaotic space, and that's the beauty of it. It's the unpredictability of it that gives the magic to it. It allows for something to be spoken or phrased in a new way that is just perfect and really captures something." – Lorenz Sell "Not every person needs to have an aspiration to have an impact on the world...but if there is an aspiration for a person to do so, really find what's meaningful to them and engage in that inquiry very earnestly, because that inquiry can be an adventure." – Lorenz Sell Notes/Mentions: Transformational Teaching Online at https://transformation.sutra.co https://www.presencing.org Connect with Lorenz Sell: Website: https://sutra.co Email address: Lorenz@sutra.co LinkedIn Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: +491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

Our busy minds can get in our way with connecting to ourselves and others. Often we blame it on all of the distractions around us. Yet, have you ever paid attention to your basic physical energy level and noticed that after a good night's sleep you feel like your battery has been charged and you feel open again to the people around you? Understanding and experiencing the difference between listening to yourself, others and the bigger picture is the secret to leading through listening. In this episode, Victor focuses on leadership in listening. He explains seven levels of listening and and how to shift between listening to yourself, others and the bigger picture. He shares examples of how to get rid of the noise we all struggle with and tap into the silence needed for visioning while being responsive to the needs of those around us. His dream is for leadership in listening to impact at a larger scale in organizations, between countries or even helping to heal our humanity. Victor Pierau is an economist with extensive experience in business and psychotherapy. He is fascinated by human interaction and has spent many years studying the science of listening. He discovered that listening takes place on seven levels. He wrote a fascinating and educational book about this, entitled: Leadership in Listening. He has been training and coaching various professionals and entire organizations in better listening for years. Victor owns the company Connessence. Connessence means connecting with the essence. "Can we really be open to someone else without our ego standing in the way? If we're going to do that, then we start listening to someone else. Otherwise, we only listen to ourselves, to our own ego thoughts." - Victor Pierau Valuable Resource: Leadership in Listening: The 7 levels of listening for professionals https://eur-leiderschapinluisteren.nl/en-gb/landingspagina Listen IN Notes: 02:05 - The first time he noticed the impact listening: The time in his childhood when he was a mediator between his parents helping them dialogue through listening 04:04 - What advice he would give to his younger self: I love you, and you did a great job. It was not your work, it was theirs. But, you found a treasure there, and this treasure can be given to the world. 04:48 - The three orientations to listening: listening to yourself, listening to others, listening to the big picture 06:50 - What listening to himself made him realize. 09:16 - How to help people start to listen: we give people experiences so they can listen to themselves and discover how they are bound by their own ego parts. 11:26 - Taking a look at how ego parts play out in life: Mostly it's the unconscious self, and they are born anywhere in your life sometimes to let you survive, and sometimes they are more conscious. 17:34 - When someone else can help us to listen to ourselves 21:04 - Moving from ego to personality - how this supports in helping businesses manage their teams 23:33 - Leadership in listening in business: I have this strong ego, but I make the conscious choice to let go of it. And realize that when I'm really connected with other people, really connected with my team members, then we can grow much further. 30:28 - What are the seven levels of distortion or noise and how to get rid of them with the seven levels of listening? 35:02 - How does listening to your own convictions help find inspiration in other's convictions? 40:15 -How the simple exercise of talking order impacts listening 42:22 - Why these two go together: Facilitation skills and wanting to listen 44:05 - What is the essence of listening? 44:58 - How do we get organizations to be aware of their poor listening skills and the value of listening. 49:00 - The need for further listening research and sharing the results of listening impact to the world 50:38 - Victor sharing his biggest dream Key Takeaways: "When you forget to listen to yourself, well, then you don't know if you listen well to anyone else." - Victor Pierau "To begin with, it is so important that you have a real connection with yourself, by listening to yourself. And if you're able to do that, then you can start listening to someone else." - Victor Pierau "Listening to yourself means that you are getting a better picture of your own ego parts." - Victor Pierau "We have all of those ego parts in ourselves -- with those emotions, with those convictions. And if we are not aware of them, there is a kind of filter between what someone is telling us and what we can hear." - Victor Pierau "The importance of listening to someone else is that you can help others in discovering their own ego parts." - Victor Pierau "It's really a matter of choice where you want to listen to. Is it your own needs? Or is it the bigger picture we are serving in this organization, or the bigger picture of why we are together in a team where I am the manager." - Victor Pierau "Leadership in listening not only applies to a team or as a manager, but this applies on a global level, as well. And when I realized that...then you can see that listening can heal wounds, not only on an interpersonal level but also at a global level. It's not only about things or managers, it's also about countries, and also about humanity." - Victor Pierau "When you listen to someone else, you listen to the convictions of someone else. And you try to listen to the inspiration of other people. But when your own convictions are so hard, then it's maybe impossible to listen to what someone else has to say. So (that person) is not able to inspire you because of your own convictions." - Victor Pierau Connect with Victor Pierau: E: victor@connessence.nl connessence.nl Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn

What does listening have to do with belonging? There is currently a lot of buzz around the cost to organizations when employees do not feel belonging. Yet it's not just buzz. There is more and more research showing that when employees feel like they belong, organizations can reap bottom-line benefits. In this episode, Sarah describes how listening is the practice of showing people that they belong, and is a key capacity needed to activate the value-creating all the buzz. She talks about the importance of recognizing that while it is the employers' responsibility to shape belonging experiences, work cannot be the only focus. A leader can also foster a sense of belonging when they support individuals in their team discover belonging and identity outside of work. For example, having time and resources to spend time with friends, taking a class, joining a club or volunteering. Sarah Judd Welch is the Principal & CEO of Sharehold, an innovation consultancy that designs and fosters belonging with teams and communities navigating change. As a community and organizational designer, Sarah believes that it is our collective responsibility to create environments and cultures in which everyone is seen, heard, and valued. Sarah is Dare to Lead trained and most recently led the research report Redesigning Belonging: How Uncertainty Magnifies Belonging at Work which resulted in a group assessment tool for visualizing and improving belonging experiences. Her clients range from Google and Anheuser Busch to The Skoll Foundation and Meetup. "Listening is...a process for showing people that they belong. It's not enough to simply listen, you need to also take action. And you also need to show up and act in a way on an ongoing basis that shows people they are seen, heard and valued, and that they fit within the group in a system." - Sarah Judd Welch Valuable Resource: A group assessment tool for visualizing and improving belonging experiences -- Redesigning Belonging: How Uncertainty Magnifies Belonging at Work: https://www.sharehold.co/redesigningbelonging Listen IN Notes: 00:38 - The time she began to notice just how powerful listening could be as an organizational capacity and as a lever for change. 02:10 - What is a innovation consultancy? 04:14 - The natural output of her company's growth and evolution over time -- If you want to see change externalized in the world, you must start with yourself, then start with the organization then go out into the community. 07:02 - Describing how organizations that were more successful were the ones that listen better. 10:10 - How did one company who listened better become more successful: becoming a more digital and content-oriented company as opposed to more of a traditional marketing company 16:10 - What happens when insights are rejected by decision-makers: It's oftentimes foreboding of a really challenging future where an organization is unable to meet the needs of a specific set of stakeholders. 17:04 - What one company learned when they become responsive towards insights: Reframing their value proposition 18:31 - Sometimes there is hesitancy and fear to listen to customers: A story about a client who was surprised to be able to leverage their learnings to reposition their membership to be much more about being in community with people and supporting the global movement 20:15 - Two different research approaches used to get insights for companies: Conduct survey and direct interviews 22:21 - How listening gave Tokeativity valuable insight: they learned how to directly engage their community 24:36 - The holistic shift that happens in companies after listening: It's really about reorienting the organization to serving your primary stakeholder, which is oftentimes the customer. 25:32 - The core outcome of a report called Redesigning Belonging -- How Uncertainty Magnifies Belonging at Work: a group assessment tool for visualizing and improving belonging experiences inside of both teams and groups at large. 30:21 - Insights from the research on belonging: Uncertainty magnifies belonging experiences both negatively and positively. 33:45 - The responsibility that a leader takes to shape belonging experiences in the organization according to insights from the belonging research 34:12: - What do belonging experiences look like? 38:09 - How does listening impact belonging? 40:44 - Listening as a way of demonstrating belonging: Participating in the listening research and sharing insights from the result of the research to their community What does listening have to do with belonging? There is currently a lot of buzz around the cost to organizations when employees do not feel belonging. Yet it's not just buzz. There is more and more research showing that when employees feel like they belong, organizations can reap bottom-line benefits. In this episode, Sarah describes how listening is the practice of showing people that they belong, and is a key capacity needed to activate the value-creating all the buzz. She talks about the importance of recognizing that while it is the employers' responsibility to shape belonging experiences, work cannot be the only focus. A leader can also foster a sense of belonging when they support individuals in their team discover belonging and identity outside of work. For example, having time and resources to spend time with friends, taking a class, joining a club or volunteering. Sarah Judd Welch is the Principal & CEO of Sharehold, an innovation consultancy that designs and fosters belonging with teams and communities navigating change. As a community and organizational designer, Sarah believes that it is our collective responsibility to create environments and cultures in which everyone is seen, heard, and valued. Sarah is Dare to Lead trained and most recently led the research report Redesigning Belonging: How Uncertainty Magnifies Belonging at Work which resulted in a group assessment tool for visualizing and improving belonging experiences. Her clients range from Google and Anheuser Busch to The Skoll Foundation and Meetup. "Listening is...a process for showing people that they belong. It's not enough to simply listen, you need to also take action. And you also need to show up and act in a way on an ongoing basis that shows people they are seen, heard and valued, and that they fit within the group in a system." - Sarah Judd Welch Valuable Resource: A group assessment tool for visualizing and improving belonging experiences -- Redesigning Belonging: How Uncertainty Magnifies Belonging at Work: https://www.sharehold.co/redesigningbelonging Listen IN Notes: 00:38 - The time she began to notice just how powerful listening could be as an organizational capacity and as a lever for change. in a transparent manner 41:37 - How did Sarah's listening research and experience affect her as a person? 43:16 - Acknowledging the struggle to do listening for ourselves 43:44 - Tool to help visualize and act on the team's experience of belongingness. Click here: https://www.sharehold.co/redesigningbelonging 45:44 - One interesting fact about design research as opposed to market research 46:00 - Her wish for the future: Suspend the pressure to think short-term and really think long-term. 48:10 - Encouraging words from Sarah: An internal listening practice for your team has real results for your customers. Key Takeaways: "Listening is the practice of showing people they belong." - Sarah Judd Welch "Listening is the capability and practice that allows you to be seen, heard, and valued in the creation and design process. You are designing specific solutions that are meeting their needs. That is how belonging and listening connect to each other."- Sarah Judd Welch "What we saw over time is that we really needed to broaden our focus to a much more holistic level of change, that for a community to move forward, you need to start from within the organization." - Sarah Judd Welch "Organizations that are listening well are in a relationship in various pathways with all of those stakeholders and have ways for them to solicit feedback, gather feedback, insight, and co-develop solutions together. They also know which other stakeholders are most important for them to listen to. And that's not necessarily dependent upon who has the most financial leverage." - Sarah Judd Welch "As a leader, it is your responsibility to shape belonging experiences at work, this is something that is within your capacity and your control and it is your job as a leader." - Sarah Judd Welch "While it is an employer's and a leader's responsibility to shape belonging experiences, work cannot be the only place where we feel that we belong." - Sarah Judd Welch "When you listen, you are able to understand what it is that people need, you hear them and by the very mere fact of listening to them, you are showing that you value their perspective, their inputs, and their opinions and that you respect their needs." - Sarah Judd Welch Notes / Mentions: American Medical Association: https://www.ama-assn.org/ Tokeativity: https://tokeativity.com/ Connect with Sarah Judd Welch: LinkedIn E: sarah@sharehold.co Connect with Raquel Ark: www.listeningalchemy.com Mobile: + 491732340722 contact@listeningalchemy.com LinkedIn