Listening is a bold and subtly elevated, sensitive undertaking and an outrageous gift to offer our friends, loved ones, communities and strangers. ~Barrie Barton
The Art of Listening to Each Other, co-led by David LaMotte and Barrie Barton, is an interactive workshop series designed to cultivate listening skills and build better relationships. The workshop meets three consecutive Monday nights, beginning April 17, at 7:00 PM, at Land of the Sky United Church of Christ off of Tunnel Road in East Asheville.
As communication increases in variety and volume, the need for listening and presence-based attention skills is also growing. The gap between the two can lead to a sense that everyone is talking, but no one feels heard.
Careful, intentional, and effective listening can be taught and learned, but it is more than a formulaic skill. It is a way of being. It is a muscle that we can work out — both for strength and agility. ~David LaMotte
You will engage in:
- Group activities and discussions
- Explore and clarify personal barriers to listening and being heard
- Develop applicable practices to use in the real world.
Skills you can learn:
- Body language cues and ‘body listening
- Navigating power dynamics
- Differentiating between judgement and curiosity
- Uncovering barriers to listening
- Self-reflection
- Embracing silence while listening
To be more comfortable in silence is difficult. That struggle to not feel obligated to fill the space…we want to help people overcome that. ~Barrie Barton
Barton and LaMotte hope to see the participants expand their capacity for effectively hearing each other, develop tools to respond instead of react, and explore methods to stay engaged even in contentious situations.
Many of us carry the strange illusion we should not have to study or practice listening in order do it well. Like any other skill, listening can be learned, and we get better at it with time and attention.
~David LaMotte
Details:
- Where: Land of the Sky Church, 15 Overbrook Place, in East Asheville.
- When: Mondays, April 17, 24 and May 1
- Time: 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
- Cost: $145
- Registration: http://www.listeningtoeachother.org.
For event information and questions, contact Barrie Barton at 828-712-9654 or email at barrie@standanddeliverasheville.com.
David LaMotte is a Rotary World Peace Fellow, a former Clerk of the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Task Group, and the author of Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness. He is also a performing songwriter, with over 3000 concerts on five continents to his credit.
Barrie Barton is a life-long facilitator, teacher, and director of presence-based training program Stand and Deliver Asheville and Artistic Director of Story Choreography Projects (formerly Community Choreography Projects).