107 | Power Listening

Posted on July 20, 2009 - by Jus

107 | Power Listening

You’ve heard of active listening, well my course goes one step further. As a coach, an even more refined skill level in listening is required : Power Listening. It’s got all the elements of active listening – listening attentively, paraphrasing to acknowledge you’ve heard, checking perceptions to demonstrate that feelings are also being heard – and adding a few extra powerful elements.

Waiting – the act of waiting approximately 10 seconds before replying to what has just been said allows the other person the space to finish their thoughts and feelings.

Asking for more – asking careful questions to ensure the other person has completely explored their thoughts and feelings.

Responding rather than consoling – listening as a coach is about listening objectively and responding in a consoling manner can actually hinder the client in expressing their thoughts and feelings in full. So instead, the focus is on small acknowledgements that they are being heard to encourage more sharing.

Being empathetic and non-judgemental – the ground rule is “it is not your job to point out to someone what you think he or she may be missing.” Judgements can impair listening.

Moving to action – because power listening isn’t about just letting someone rant and vent, it’s about helping them to understanding how these thoughts and feelings can help them to move forward.

Using intuition – listening from the heart and using more than just your ears to listen… now that is power listening!

So my reflection questions from this class were…

What are five things that a coach needs to listen for with a client?

Listening to a) what they are saying, b) what they are feeling (emotions), c) what their perceptions are, d) for the link or applications to their current goals and e) for what is not said but is just as important!

Which of the listening strategies in this unit do you actively apply and which would you like more practice with?

I definitely need more work on the WAIT (Why Am I Talking?) principle, particularly in my relationship with my husband! I also need more practice with listening without judgement.

I do think I can actively listen when I apply myself and I try not to interrupt and ask questions to help the person explore what they are thinking and feeling further.

What is the difference between ‘rambling and venting’ and genuinely unpacking an issue?

I think that when a person is rambling or venting, they are ‘releasing steam’ as opposed to being really mindful and considering everything they are saying. To be mindful means that the person talking is learning from their own words as much as the listener is as talking things through can often lead the client to devise their own conclusions or solutions.

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