Module 1-2: The Helping Conversation

Module 1-2: The Helping Conversation

Deep listening and empathy in encounter

Practising 3 levels and 7 qualities in helping conversations

In the Helping Conversation Module, we explore creative methods for deepening your ability to hear the important messages behind the thoughts, feelings and impulses you encounter in communicating with others. By emphasising the importance of authentic interaction, we aim to widen your range of listening and responsiveness. We focus on how to create open spaces and open questions in your work with colleagues, family and students.

The seminar offers a strongly interactive learning experience and builds a foundation for deepened ways of communication and creative exchange with others. It aims to help us become aware of the different approaches we can take to meet daily interactions in life more consciously and effectively. Our old friends – the Planetary Qualities – reappear and will be applied to bring a new dynamic and fresh approach to inter-actions which may have become stuck, superficial or habitual.

The Listening to Thinking-Feeling-Will groupwork helps you to become more aware of how thinking, feeling and willing are expressed in the context of the words and sentences we use.

The Deep Listening group-work aims to develop fundamental skills for a Helping Conversation. We start with strengthening your awareness of crucial first impressions. We will then follow the thread through the conceptual level on to the emotions, will-impulses and finally the mission or karma aspects underlying the spoken words. Finally, we practice how to hold and maintain a process and bring it to a close.

Be prepared to share small ‚real‘ life events illustrating conversation and encounter obstacles you have experienced. You might make some preparatory notes. The usual phenomenon experienced is that all obstacles disappear the moment we start sharing.