Listening
Not hearing sound, an act of seeing that makes new possibilities available.
Hearing is anatomical. Listening is ontological: it is an act of seeing, and what you listen for is what becomes available to you. Two people in the same meeting, listening for different things, leave in different worlds.
Most people listen for whether they agree, or for their turn to talk. The skill is listening for the other’s concerns, moods, and the commitments underneath their words, which is where the real conversation always is.
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