Upbuild Coaching Bits: Four Listening Channels

Listening is always happening. It’s a matter of what we are listening to and what we are listening for.

Listening is an active skill, not a passive skill. You can point your listening anywhere. 

There are four listening channels. No channel is definitively the “right” channel, but certain channels can be more beneficial at certain times depending on the situation.

The four listening channels are:

• Self-focused: listening to your own thoughts, body, emotions, and intuition. 

• Other-focused: listening to the content, word choice, mannerisms, pace, volume, and tone of the other person. You can also listen for what the person is not saying.  

• Environment: listening for what is happening in the physical environment, what is happening in the other person’s family, organization, industry, etc., or the “space” between you and the other person.

• Transformational: listening for new possibilities, openings, emerging opportunities, and forces that generate change.

Coaching application: Pick one of the four listening channels that you tend to underutilize. Consistently listen to that channel in your next session, and notice the impact on your client.

Life application: Pick one of the four listening channels that you tend to underutilize. Consistently listen to that channel in a conversation with a friend, colleague, or family member. Notice what you discover by focusing on a specific channel. 

Relevant Upbuild content:

• [Podcast] The Four Listening Channels and the Power of Curiosity (Apple / Spotify)

• [Article] The Five Elements of Trust