Mentoring Future Leaders

Mentoring Future Leaders
© Learning Link International
April 2005
Three Levels of Listening
Level 1: ME
Level 2: YOU
Level 3: 360 o
Level 1: “At level 1 o u r f o c u s i s o n
ourselves. We listen to the words of the other person but the focus is on
what it means to us. At level 1 the spotlight is on me: my thoughts, my
judgments, my feelings, my conclusions about myself and others … At level
one there is only one question: What does this mean to me?” (Whitworth, et
al, 1998, p. 34).
Level 2: “At level two there is a sharp focus on the other person. You can
see it in people’s posture when they are communicating. At level 2 they
are probably both leaning forward, looking intently at each other. There is a
great deal of attention on the other person and not much awareness of the
outside world …As a coach listening at level 2 you hear the client speak:
the tone, the pace, the feeling expressed. You notice all that is coming to
you in the form of information. Then you choose what to respond to and
how you will respond. Then you notice the impact of your response on the
client and receive that information as well.” (Whitworth, et al, 1998, p. 36).
Level 3: “At level 3 you listen at 360 degrees. In fact, you listen as though
you and the client were at the centre of the universe receiving information
from everywhere at once. It’s as though you’re surrounded by a force field
that contains you, the client, and a space of knowing. Level 3 includes
everything you can observe with your senses: what you see, hear, smell
and feel – the tactile sensations as well as the emotional sensations. Level
3 includes the action and the inaction and the interaction … To listen at
level 3 the coach must be open and softly focused, sensitive to tiny stimuli,
ready to receive information from all the senses – in your own sphere, in
the world around you, in the world around your client”
(Whitworth, et al, 1998, p. 37).
Module 4 - Mentoring Skills Page ! 1