Listening From The Heart

with Rebecca Johns

Communication can create stress due to the sheer amount of information available and the many forms it comes in. It can be overwhelming.

We can also experience our own inner noise reacting to the demands of communication. Inner noise can bring up uncomfortable emotions such as impatience, frustration, and perhaps anxiety.

Taking a few moments to be intentional about how we listen can make a difference both for ourselves and the person we are listening to.

Try this:

Focus on the area around your heart
Feel your breath as though it is coming in and going out from your heart
Do this 3-4 times
Clear your mind, allow the inner chatter to scroll by without attending to it
Activate a feeling of appreciation for the person you are listening to

Be Present…..Be Receptive…..Be Curious…..Be Responsive

Notice any shifts in your experience as a listener.

Notice the impact on the person you are listening to.

More About Rebecca Johns

After a vibrant career as a professional educator for 25 years, I left to explore ways of contributing to the world outside a system that inhibited my growth. I discovered coaching when it was still an emerging practice, and since then have had many opportunities to travel and teach locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Coming into contact with all kinds of people has taught me to see “wholeness” as the most powerful way we can be.

My training with the Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and Center for Transformational Presence have helped me hone my skills and refine my coaching practice. I have also been certified by Deep Change, Inc and am a trained facilitator through the Center for Ethical Leadership, based in Seattle, WA. This combination of formal education and a lifetime of experiential learning has taught me that we are here to support each other in becoming more mindful, skillful, and effective in whatever we choose to pursue.