Active Listening Part 3 - Respond
If we have listened well by receiving and reflecting on what has been said, we may feel led to respond with a brief statement of what we observe. Again, this response is not the same as reacting to what we have heard by telling our own stories or making suggestions. Deep listening is not the social exchange or chitchat we engage in at a church potluck or a workplace cocktail hour. Rather this is the response of holding space for the individual to breathe, the response that follows prayerful listening with one ear to the speaker and one ear to the Spirit.
It may be an invitation to encourage, to point out strengths and gifts that you have observed in the midst of all they have shared. It may also give opportunity to invite the individual to wonder about new perspectives or how they might simply live with the question or a mystery of faith for a season. How do they experience the Divine presence in their situation? What might be the invitation from God? What grace do they seek to continue on this faith journey or season of life? And as we respond, always we remember that our observations, questions, and wonderings remain squarely focused on the individual, their journey and their relationship with God.
How might the three stages of active listening - receiving, reflecting, responding - change the way you interact with others? How have you experienced this kind of listening in your own life?
