Fierce Listening?
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How are you listening? For Gist, Rebuttal, Logic, Emotions, or Point of View? The latter aims for a deep understanding the other person’s world. The listening experience becomes progressively more “fierce”, You know that you did a great job when you’re utterly exhausted after 20 minutes.
At a recent client-centered workshop at the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture the quality of listening was directly linked to client relationships and project success. The session “Aligning your firm with client needs” by Mary Coc, Nicole Lemieux, Kimberly Dowdell, and David Gruesel made question many standard approaches:
They shared the provocative concept of “client intimacy” : Not the inappropriate kind, but a very human to human alternative to common “transactional” relationships. A university architect observed that inserting their culture document right into contracts helped clarify expectations including how interaction occurs throughout a project.
More reading on the five types of listening here: