Four Levels of Listening
FOUR Levels of listening:
Through his research on listening, Otto Scharmer identified four levels of listening that people move between all the time.
Level 1: Downloading - This is when a person listens from their habits and for information that confirms their preconceived beliefs and perspective.
Level 2: Factual Listening - This is where we notice disconfirming information and are able to have an open mind and see new perspectives
Level 3: Empathetic Listening - This is where a person is able to shift perspective in a way that enables them to have a deeper emotional connection with the person they are listening to. They have an open heart and are able to see an experience from another person’s view.
Level 4: Generative Listening - Generative listening is a process of co-creation. This is when a person listens with an open will. They are able to suspend their agenda and able to fully embrace the perspective or another to achieve a common goal.
As a coach my clients are best served when I am fully present and engaged with them. Being fully present requires that I listen actively, skillfully and mindfully. However, the value of my presentness is not simply in my clients perceiving me as understanding, engaged or empathetic. I listen in service to their lives being changed. Otto Scharmers research on listening identify a process for going from listening to action. As a coach, its critical that I maintain self-awareness about what level I’m listening from which will enable to me to consciously shift between level and manage myself as a coach. This framework can also be helpful for clients who are engaged in conflicts where they need to create common ground with the people they are interacting with. It can help them gain self-awareness about the level receptivity and openness they have during a conflict and give them a nuanced awareness of other behavioral choices during difficult conversations.
