4.4 The art of thinking together

The heart of a dialogue is the simple but profound ability to listen, says William Isaacs in his book "Dialogue". We prepare a speech, but we do not often prepare ourselves to listen. To listen is to develop an inner silence, which is what exercises in natural presence is trying to achieve. When leading a group to share their experiences, the first step is to listen. Not just to what others are saying, but also to your own reactions to what is being said. Use the sharing of exerices itself as an exercise in natural presence.

Perhaps the simplest and most powerful way to practice listening is to stand still, writes Isaacs. By being silent in ourselves, we open up to be present. Ask yourself:

• What do I feel in my body right now?
• How does it feel?
• How does it affect other people?
• What are the different voices in me saying?
• Which voices are marginalized?

William Isaacs writes that there is a spatial quality linked to listen. We orient ourselves through sound. Our sense of balance is related to the hearing, both are placed in the ear. We place our perception when we listen. Our culture, however, is dominated by sight. We are constantly bombarded by visual impression, and has accustomed ourselves to think in the same way. It creates an impatience with other rhythms. Sound travels much slower than light. To listen, we need to slow down. To listen well, we need to be alert to what is said and what is not said. While the eye tends to see the surface, your ear penetrates below that surface. Ear can perceive the invisible. What does not the tone and melody in a voice tell us how that person relates to life?

If the art of thinking together begins with listening, and listening is about becoming more present, your exercises in natural presence will help participants to listen better and work better together. Do you agree?

Ask around, search on the Internet, go through your bookshelves, and share your experiences on best practices, methods, exercises and tips of how to think together. Share your findings in this weeks Skype conversation add your ideas in our Getwild Academy Facebook group.