ECCAY RESOURCES

The ECCAY resources can help professionals to use in practice the solution focused knowledge they have just acquired.

Exercise nr. 23

SENOVA’S LISTENING CHANNELS

Minimum number of participants	Average time length	Individual setting	Group setting	Special Equipment	Unit	Online	Challenges/ competition
1	Depending on number of participants 15-30 minutes	yes	yes	no	3,4,5	yes	no

In this exercise one’s own listening behaviour is reflected in presenting and using Senova’s listening channels.

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Aim / Benefits

This exercise aims to reflect on which way you are listening in a conversation. For this purpose, Senova's channels are introduced, and participants are encouraged to reflect on their own listening behaviour in relation to these. If you do this exercise in a group, it can be well followed by a reflection and discussion about particularly helpful channels in counselling/or the respective group contexts.

UNIT(s) related

Unit 3
Why
One's listening behaviour has important implications for the relationship between professional and youth.

Unit 4
Why
For groups, this exercise can highlight different listening patterns and allow them to reflect on these patterns together, using the same “language” and set improvement goals.

Unit 5
Why
This exercise is a self-reflection exercise - for counselling situations, but also more generally related to one's own listening behaviour.

How to do the exercise

Step 1 / Preparation:
(MANDATORY to explain how to prepare and introduce the exercise to the participant)
You can prepare a handout about the Listening Channels of Senova – see download option in the bibliography

Step 2
Introduce the different listening channels:

Channel 0: Switched off/Not being present. It is about questions like:
Am I listening at all?

Would I now be able to answer a question someone asks me?

Channel1: Listening to yourself. It is about questions like:
Am I just waiting for them to stop talking so I can make my important statement?

Am I already practising what I will say next instead of listening to what is being said?

Channel 2: Hearing agreement, familiarity. It is about questions like:
Do I listen to what is similar to what I already know, or do I focus on whether or not others agree with what I have just said?

Am I looking for allies in this situation?

Channel 3: Critical, factual, listening for evidence. It is about questions like:
Do I listen to evidence that what they say is right? Am I looking for evidence to back up their story?

Channel 4: empathic/listening from the narrator's perspective. It is about questions like:
Do I really only want to understand his perspective and do I have no other motives in listening?

Do I understand how it feels to have this perspective?

Channel 5: Generative (insight, hearing possibilities). It is about questions like:
Am I using my empathy, insight into their context and motivation to get the best outcome?

Have I taken a position of possibility to ensure that we can develop a meaningful alternative?

Step 3:
The participants are asked on which channels they listened within the last hour. Give 5 minutes time for individual reflection and then further 10 mins for a reflection about it in pairs (when doing this exercise in a group).

Final step / Conclusion:
Reflection of experiences by asking questions (in a group setting done in the whole group):

Which channels were predominantly used?
Which not?
Why is that?
What is surprising for you?
Which channels would be most helpful in the counselling work or in the respective group situation?

Debrief

This exercise serves to raise awareness and alertness regarding one's own listening behaviour (in counselling situations). All channels have their justification in different situations - knowledge about them can sharpen more targeted listening.

Tips and Tricks

This exercise is primarily intended for professionals, but it can also be useful in groups with youth.

On-line version

This exercise can also be done online. For the second part, in which the participants practice in pairs, it is necessary to provide enough online breakout rooms.

Bibliography - Sitography

Downloadmöglichkeit eines Handouts zu den Listening Channels von Senova
https://wearehuddle.com/huddle-academy/resources (checked 12.02.2022]

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