Listening, rather than talking, is the key to making an effective plan of action for a company or school, according to Peter Hudson. The trouble is, most people are not very good at it. Here Peter looks at five key ideas that will help the members of a team improve as listeners, and therefore as effective collaborative planners.
Listening is invaluable in schools in all sorts of ways and at many levels of responsibility – teachers, school leaders, students themselves and parents. Here Peter Hudson explains why listening is vital for school leaders.
Listening is in fact invaluable in schools in all sorts of ways and at many levels of responsibility – for teachers, school leaders, students themselves and parents. This is the first of a series of articles from Peter Hudson focusing on listening in schools. We start with teachers.
We are all becoming increasingly aware that emotional intelligence, empathy and the ability to be a good listener are beneficial to the well-being of the individual and others. Peter Hudson explores how they are inseparably linked and how they offer a new way towards a better society.
Dr Eugene Heimler developed an innovative and unique form of psychotherapy, the Heimler Method of Social Functioning, which has enabled countless individuals to find meaning and new direction in their lives and turn frustration and disengagement into creativity and involvement. Peter Hudson provides a very personal review of Dr Heimler’s account of some of the experiences that helped mould his now widely used counselling techniques.
Peter Hudson had just finished having breakfast at what used to be called a country house party in the UK. Having listened to several guests for several minutes, asking them about their work and families, he was asked what he did. ‘I teach teachers how to listen’, he replied.
One of the guests, herself a retired teacher, said ‘Oh that’s the top skill in teaching!’ When he asked her what she thought the reason for that was, she said ‘It builds respect with the students and when you have that you can achieve so much more with them’.
Listening Quote of the Month:
Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.
Bernard Baruch, 1870–1965
As part of a regular series of articles about listening, Peter Hudson, of Consilium Education considers the links between listening and success, and asks is the right kind of listening really happening in schools and businesses?