Listening to stories and hearing another person talk about an intercultural interaction offer a unique opportunity. Through actively listening, we can step into another’s story, be present with their emotions, and be changed through the experience. If we listen deeply, the individual sharing their story feels heard and not judged. We have experienced how challenging it can be to lean in and really listen to stories without interrupting, expressing judgment (positive or negative), or launching into our own stories. But when we manage to listen deeply, we find the telling and listening process sparks deep connections.
Tools we have used for practicing our listening include:
To listen and to be heard are fundamental to authentic communication and human connection. Yet, in our daily lives, it is rare that we stop and focus fully on what others are saying to us. This is increasingly true with all of the communication devices available. Too frequently our smart phones distract us from being fully present. Even when we set aside devices, we still have internal distractions. We bring our preconceptions, emotional impressions, and physical reactions to the individual before us. That person brings the same. So much is happening.
The act of communicating is an act of bridging. It’s no wonder that a default for many people is to gravitate towards sharing primarily with others who are similar to them. It requires less energy. One does not have to negotiate the complexities of how to communicate to be reasonably well understood. Needless to say, if we are aspiring to transcend differences in language, culture, nationality, class, education, race and/or gender we have an even more significant bridging task before us. This takes more energy and there are multiple potential miscommunications. Global intercultural communication requires practice.
Often our activities involve meeting with people with different linguistic and/or national origins, cultural backgrounds, class, race and gender identities. Becoming comfortable with the accents or slower communication of non-English speakers, listening for the meaning of what the other person is trying to say, and listening for the nuances of expression that comes from different backgrounds are key..