Listening to Understand
Bridging Skill 1: Listening to Understand
Listening and understanding go hand in hand. Think about a time you felt truly listened to. Where there was no argument to win, decision to push forward, or lesson being taught, but a genuine interest in simply listening. Being listened to is a gift, and foundational to connecting with others.
We reached out to the best and brightest in the bridging field to collect learning opportunities to help you build your listening muscles. Find which one works best for you by reading the descriptions below and checking them out!
Listen to Understand
Living Room Conversations
Type: Asynchronous
Length: 2 hours
Cost: Free
This interactive PDF workbook uses video, fun quizzes, and reflection questions to bring better listening to your life.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand your listening strengths and challenges
- Be able to implement best practices in your daily life
- Practice listening in a conversation
- Understand the value in listening to understand
Becoming a Professional Listener
Foundation for Family and Community Healing
Type: Asynchronous
Length: 4 weeks
Cost: $150 suggested donation
Listening is the first skill we learn, even in utero, and the one found to have greatest impact on our personal relationships and professional trajectory. This is a four week course.
Learning Outcomes:
- Develop greater self-awareness of your listening strengths and challenges
- Learn strategies, tactics, and habits to become a professional listener
- Find better ways to work collaboratively and across a range of diversity in your workplace and at home
Political Conversation for Trust and Understanding
Essential Partners
Type: Synchronous
Length: 30 minutes minimum
Cost: Free
In this exercise, two participants engage in a structured conversation about a political difference that invites deeper listening, more complex understanding, strengthened relationships, and renewed trust.
Learning Outcomes:
- Deeper listening
- Ability to understand opposing views
- Relationships across differences
Listening Skills for Bridging the Gap
Interfaith America
Type: Synchronous, requires a facilitator
Length: 2 hours with the Story Circle Activity
Cost: Free
This is a facilitator led synchronous curriculum module guide crafted to hone deep listening skills. It helps the participant describe the value of listening as a skill for bridgebuildling while connecting their worldview to their motivation to listen. The module includes optional activities for practicing these skills.
Learning Outcomes:
- Understand and be able to practice: active listening, reflective listening, empathic listening, and speaking truth
Hearing for Healing
Foundation for Family and Community Healing
Type: Asynchronous, you will need to find ways to practice
Length: 2+ weeks depending on the time to practice
Cost: $75 suggested donation
In the Hearing4Healing module, we seek to bridge the chasms that divide us by helping us all learn to listen deeply. In this 6 part module, you will learn about the barriers and opportunities for deep listening, observe role plays, and begin your own listening practice.
Learning Outcomes:
- Describe the value of listening as a core bridgebuildling skill
- Name something from your worldview that motivates you to listen
- Describe the differences between listening in bridge building conversations and other conversations
- Name a few listening skills
- Identify current strengths and weaknesses and identify what you will do to continue refining skills
Designated Listener Exercise
Essential Partners
Type: Synchronous
Length: Dependent on the size of the group and conversation
Cost: Free
In this exercise, participants are invited to serve as a designated listener for a group conversation, and offer a synthesis of what they just heard. Designed specifically for classroom settings, this exercise can be adapted for any situation where a complex topic is discussed in a group setting.
Learning Outcomes:
- Deeper listening
- Ability to understand opposing views
If you’re looking for additional ways to practice listening we have you covered!
I’ve completed the module! How do I get my badge?
Simply follow this link to complete a form where you can share which module you completed and what you learned. Once that’s done you’ll get an email with your badge that you can share on LinkedIn and more!