Heard, Seen, Respected

Get-to-know

Intragroup openness, Issue analysis, Liberating structures, Team – building

Active listening, Appreciation, Communication, Empathy, Evaluation, Introspection

Up to 60 min

6-15 persons, 16 – 30 persons, More than 30 persons

Skilled

Safe

Introduction

The main goal is to practice Deeper Listening and Empathy with Colleagues / team members. You can foster the empathetic capacity of participants to “walk in the shoes” of others. Many situations do not have immediate answers or clear resolutions. Recognizing these situations and responding with empathy can improve the “cultural climate” and build trust among group members. HSR helps individuals learn to respond in ways that do not overpromise or over-control. It helps members of a group to notice unwanted patterns and work together on shifting to more productive interactions. Participants experience the practice of more compassion and the benefits it engenders.

WHY we should use this tool:

Reveal how common it is for people to experience not being heard, seen, or respected
Reveal how common it is for people to behave in a way that makes other people feel they are not being heard, seen, or respected
Improve listening, tuning, and empathy among group members
Notice how much can be accomplished simply by listening
Rely on each other more when facing confusing or new situations
Offer catharsis and healing after strains in relationships
Help managers discern when listening is more effective than trying to solve a problem

WHEN we could use this tool:

For regular meetings to improve the quality of listening and tuning in to each other
For transition periods when questions about the future are unanswerable (e.g., post-merger integration, market disruptions, social upheaval) and empathetic listening is what is needed
When individuals or groups have suffered a loss and need a forum to share their grief or despair
To improve one-on-one reporting relationships up and down in an organization

Necessary tools (what you need)

Pick a proper videoconferencing tool: Use a video conferencing tool where you can assign the pair of participants into breakout rooms (e.g. Zoom).

Steps

Structuring Invitation
- When briefing the exercise and assigning the pairs to work together, keep all participants in the main video conference room and explain best practices
- After this step is completed, turn on breakout rooms so each pair can work on being a storyteller and listener.
- After the first pair breakouts are completed, bring everyone back together, explain the next step and separate them into four-person breakout sessions.
- After the group breakout groups are completed and participants return to the main room, debrief the exercise.
- Invite participants to tell a story to a partner about a time when they felt that they were not heard, seen, or respected.
- Ask the listeners to avoid any interruptions other than asking questions like “What else?” or “What happened next?”
How Participation Is Distributed
- Everyone has an equal amount of time, in turn, to participate in each role, as a storyteller and a listener
How Groups Are Configured
- In pairs for the storytelling
- Then foursomes for reflecting on what happened
Steps and Time Allocation
- Introduce the purpose of HSR: to practice listening without trying to fix anything or make any judgments. – 3 min.
- One at a time, each person has 7 minutes to share a story about NOT being heard, seen, or respected. – 15 min.
- Partners share with one another the experiences of listening and storytelling: “What did it feel like to tell my story; what did it feel like to listen to your story?” – 5 min.
- In a foursome, participants share reflections using 1-2-4, asking, “What patterns are revealed in the stories? What importance do you assign to the pattern?” – 5 min.
- As a whole group, participants reflect on the questions, “How could HSR be used to address challenges revealed by the patterns? What other Liberating Structures could be used?” – 5 min.

Tips & Tricks

Possible ways to support the participants:

Say, “Your partner may be ready before you. The first story that pops into mind is often the best.”
Make it safe by saying, “You may not want to pick the most painful story that comes to mind.”
Make it safe by saying, “Protect carefully the privacy of the storyteller. Ask what parts, if any, you can share with others.”
Suggest, “When you are the listener, notice when you form a judgment (about what is right or wrong) or when you get an idea about how you can help, then let it go.”

If you are feeling brave, replace the word “respected” with “loved” (i.e., the agape form of love—seeking the highest good in others without motive for personal gain.)

Heard, Seen, Respected

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Introduction

Necessary tools (what you need)

Steps

Tips & Tricks

The exercise is successfully completed when? Conclusion?