Be A Better Listener | 4 Levels of Listening
Otto Scharmer’s 4 Levels of Listening are a simple, positive way to help you get better at listening and in turn have a more productive conversation.
The four levels are: Downloading, Factual, Empathic and Generative.
"Yeah, I know that already."
When transferring information that is already largely familiar, you only listen to reconfirm what you already know.
At this level of listening all you are doing is looking for information to confirm what you already know or expect. It’s like you’re skimming the news to confirm your beliefs, or skimming some instructions to confirm you know what you are doing.
You’re not really present at level 1. Your mind is occupied elsewhere. And this shows. The people you are speaking to can tell that you’re not really with them. This isn’t a nice way for them to feel. They’ll feel slightly ignored and perhaps disrespected.
Not only this, you’re also unlikely to actually learn much or have a productive conversation if you are listening at this level.
"Ooh, look at that, new info."
You only listen attentively when the information is different from what you know. This new information is added to the information you already knew.
At this stage you’re no longer just listening for the things you already know. Instead, you’re focused on learning the facts you don’t already know. you’re keen to broaden your knowledge. You’re focused, inquiring and paying attention to the content of the conversation.
This level of listening can be very helpful, but it’s potentially somewhat inhuman. In some ways you are separating the facts in the conversation from the human being you are having the conversation with. You are not paying attention to their feelings or emotions (look for non-verbal cues, behaviours, facial expressions), or the nuance of the conversation.
This may be fine, but it may not be a great conversation for the speaker. You may also miss important information that’s not embodied in facts. You might miss clues as to what is really happening, or how people feel about what’s being discussed.
This may be fine, but it may not be a great conversation for the speaker. We may also miss important information that’s not embodied in facts. We might miss clues as to what is really happening, or how people feel about what’s being discussed.
"Oh, yes. I understand how you feel."
By empathizing and seeing through someone else's eyes, you are able to understand and respect the other person's perspective.
At this level, you begin to connect with the person you are speaking with and not just the facts they bring. You're moving beyond black and white statements and starting to explore nuance, feelings and emotions related to them. Or even related to the wider circumstances both of you are in.
You achieve this in part through your mindset, in part through mindful observation and in part through questioning. If you open your frame of thinking to include emotions (ref. Empathy Map), you can start to connect with the other person on a more emotional level. You can put yourselves in their shoes and start to see things from their perspective. This is empathic listening.
This level of listening gives you greater clarity over the situation. It also helps them feel understood, really listened to connected with you. It creates safety and comfort. In this space of safety, you can see increases in sharing and increasing insight .
At this level the experiences of both the speaker and the listener are improved.
"I am connected to something larger than myself."
This is where Otto goes further than many other levels of listening models, and brings greater clarity to what makes an excellent conversation.
You as the listener move beyond connecting with the speaker. You start to connect with the core ideas of the conversation and their potential futures. You begin to generate visions of the best possible future that you can imagine for the other person, without biases, judgements, or your personal agenda getting in the way.
When speakers and listeners can align like this, in such a safe, optimistic, forward looking way, great things can be imagined. It’s possible to generate new ideas, and to find the energy and enthusiasm to start to bring them into reality.
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Kai Chu | Creatific Culture Labs
- May 16, 2022
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