Listening Skills: Our Developmental Influences

Listening takes many forms, but above all it is a skill set that we spend our entire lives ‘developing’, whether we want to or not. Most of us have an inflated notion that we are ‘good’ listeners (if we care about it at all), and defending that fact becomes a regular part of our lives. A great deal of the time, the defense feels naturally conversational and we don’t even recognize that we are doing it. When we take the time to break down the full scope of Listening (the 6th ORM Pillar), we start to see how much more bandwidth is present and available than what we have originally allowed. Take a look at listening from its most elementary difference: active vs passive. Here is where we start to develop a sense of how far the subject matter can reach vs. how much space we give it to exist. We are then able to see Listening as part of our internal structure; an arena that benefits from both our awareness and our intention. This Week of ORM centers around the more spiritual aspects of our human nature, as we listen within ourselves for the answers to our life’s most important questions (active). At the same time, we help prepare inviting space for others to feel the joy of doing the same (passive). If this (or any) practice lines up with our values, we can almost always shine a light on what is passive and with our aligned intention, make it become active.

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