Listening
Strategies to Use When Working with Groups
As
people talk in a group, some ideas catch people's
attention while others are forgotten as if never
spoken. Ideas that are expressed in an acceptable
way will be taken more seriously by group members
than those presented in a less appealing style:
repetitious vs. succinct; shy or nervous vs. outgoing
and confident; exaggerations or unsupported statements
vs. realistic and documented information; or strongly
emotional vs. matter-of-fact. In these cases,
many listeners ignore the substance of the ideas
being expressed because of the way in which it
was said, regardless of the value of the contribution.
The
facilitator's job is to use strategies that highlight
the main idea, in essence removing it from the
"unacceptable" way in which it was delivered.
Kaner (1996) suggests the
following strategies:
Paraphrasing
has both a calming and clarifying effect. It
reassures the speaker that his or her ideas
are worth listening to and it provides the speaker
a chance to hear how others are hearing his/her
ideas. The facilitator begins by saying "It
sounds like what you're saying is..." or
"This is what I'm hearing you say..."
or "Let me see if I'm understanding you...."
The facilitator then restates what he/she heard,
followed by a question asking if the paraphrasing
was correct.
Drawing
people out is a way of supporting people
to take the next step in clarifying and refining
ideas. It is particularly helpful in two situations:
when someone is having difficulty clarifying an
idea or when someone thinks that she/he is being
clear but the thought is vague or confusing to the
listener. The facilitator first briefly paraphrases
the speaker and then asks open-ended, non-directive
questions (e.g., Can you say more about that? What
do you mean? How so?).
Stacking
is a procedure for helping people take turns when
several people want to speak at once. It lets everyone
know that they are, in fact, going to have an opportunity
to speak and when. This enables them to focus on
what is being said rather than trying to get a turn.
Stacking involves a four step process: 1) ask who
wants to speak and have them raise hands, 2) create
a speaking order by designating who will be first,
second, third, and so on, 3) call on people when
their turn has arrived, and 4) when the last person
has spoken, ask if there are others who want to
speak. If yes, repeat the process.
Tracking
means keeping track of the various lines of thought
that are going on simultaneously within a discussion.
Participants may be focusing on different aspects
of a specific topic. For example, in a discussion
of the need to replace a pool car, two people could
be talking about the type of car that is needed,
two could be expressing concerns about the price
and how to pay for it, and several could suggest
ways to postpone the purchase until next year. The
facilitator needs to step back and summarize the
different trains of thought and then check for accuracy.
It is important to capture all the tracks, not just
the ones that seem most important.
Balancing
is used after a few people have expressed
their thoughts. To assure that the discussion
doesn't lead down one road, the facilitator invites
others to contribute. For example, balancing questions
might include the following: "Okay, now we
know where three people stand; does anyone else
have a different opinion?" "Are there
other ways to look at this?" "We've
heard two views, 'A' and 'B'. Is there a third
perspective?" "Let's see where we stand
on this. I'm not asking for a vote, just a sense
of where you are right now. How many of you think
it would be good if...? Balancing helps to draw
people out and reassures people that they are
encouraged to state their opinions.
Making
space sends the quiet or reflective thinkers
the message that what they have to say is important
and that the facilitator wants to give them an
opportunity to speak. Body language and facial
expression can let a facilitator know when to
say, "Was there a thought that you would
like to express?" or "You look like
you were going to say something." If they
decline, move on.
Listening
for common ground is a powerful intervention
when group members are polarized. It validates
the groups' areas of disagreement and focuses
on their areas of agreement. When participants
differ on strategies for how to solve a problem,
they often forget that they still share the larger
goal in common. Listening for common ground has
four steps: 1) indicate that you are going to
summarize the groups' differences and similarities,
2) summarize them (use visual aid), 3) point out
areas of common ground, and 4) check for accuracy.
Reference
Kaner,
S. (1996). Facilitator's guide to participatory decision-making
. Gabriola Island , British Columbia : New Society
Publishers.
[1]
Adapted with permission from Soil and Water Conservation
District Outreach: A Handbook for Program Development,
Implementation and Evaluation . Ohio Department of
Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation,
2003.
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