Conscious Listening

The Conflict Resolution season kicks off with a discussion about the liberating potential of conscious listening. Joyce chats with OEA member Brinda Narayan-Wold, School Counselor at Kelly Middle School in Eugene, and mediator with the OEA Mediation Network. Joyce and Brenda emphasize that conflict resolution strategies, like conscious listening, can be used in both our professional and personal lives. Conscious listening starts with creating a safe space for conflict resolution. Brinda explains that conscious listening is paying attention both to what is said and not said, including body language. Open-ended questions can be another powerful tool  to get to the root of an issue. For example, often when we see signs of our students suffering, we can use open-ended questions to build trust and soothe the situation. Brinda also describes how silence, summarizing, validating, and empathizing are used in effective conscious listening. 

 

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Learn more about the OEA Mediation Network