One of the most powerful experiences of listening is doing it together.
Think about your shared experience of music. Just the act of intentionally listening to something with others is awesome, especially if it’s live. It’s hard to put into words, yet the experience lives on in multi-dimensions. Often for years to come. ‘Do you remember when…?’
There are also additional nuances that are brought to light when we listen to speech together. And when that is in dialogue, there is a richness to the conversation that a single person wouldn’t create by themselves. It also guards against mishearing.
And when we listen to each other one-to-one with positive intent, listening too for the echo in our own heart and mind, then we create insights and solutions that surprise us. The colours get brighter and the flow more fluid.
So why wouldn’t we listen, as opposed to just hear, together?
I guess because it requires us to lay down our weapons of self-defence and take off our armour. Together. And we are not used to doing that…