Otto Scharmer on the four levels of listening

[@joenkhula]

Wonderful insights! Thank you! UPEACE Centre for Executive Education brought me here 🤩

[@nohypeallowed]

Otto, this is fabulous, each time you teach this it get's more clear, and easier to grasp.

[@crystalqing9491]

I have a great example, thank all of you to be the great example for new generations, I'm so lucky to meet all great examples around the world.

[@paulinabarnas8475]

Otto, I came back to this video after some time and again found it so helpful. Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom with the World.Thank you for your Ulab initiative and all that you're doing to develop leadership in the World.

[@joanastellakompa6593]

From a psychological perspective, we could also say that Level 4 Listening entails metacognitive processing, both in terms of individual and social metacognition. What I like about Theory U is that it implies a dual structure of human autonomy. The first foundation of autonomy is the classical notion of self-governance and self-direction (see, e.g., SDT or Bandura's call for an Agentic Psychology). The second foundation is to sustain openness towards future possibilities, to keep human autonomy sustainable - which is the innovative and novel argument that Theory U brings to the debate. Much appreciated.

[@mikisstekelenburg5560]

I rarely leave comments, but this one is worth it, for me!

[@avrilquadros]

Love it! So well explained and so vital for coaches and even mentors and therapists

[@iamatubertoo]

Thank you! // Dankeschön! 🐬

[@michaelmcmaster2526]

Basic - but needed. Just this will go a very long way to a culture and practices that can transform an organization.

[@milanprnjic8967]

Another level of listening, negative and disfunctional comes prior to downloading. It is "waiting for my turn to speak".

[@divyasubramanian5027]

Isn't that actually part of downloading?

[@Nepalsbeauty]

Fabulous. Thanks

[@kimmhunley8800]

This is PERFECT!

[@MsMarieGraf]

Well done, Otto. Fabulous articulation!

[@petermichelbach308]

Wunderbar, Otto!

[@AlphaMinx44]

Ok, so from 6:41 I have lost the thread, it could be a 2nd language thing with Otto, but from 6:41 it makes no real sense what he is trying to convey, 'listening from my future self, the self I want to be? I can hear something the next day that changes the prior self to being the percieved future self from yesterdays perspective, what exactly is he tried to suggest here? And the coaches comment? That would work of course, if the coach has a crystal ball, and can see into the future, or can read people so well that he knows exactly what they are capable of when that person does not, not helpful swinburne, not a good example at all. I am going to watch this with cc on again, maybe a couple more times, if anyone can shed some light on this, I would be very grateful, apologies Otto, I cannot understand the last point.

[@threefoldconsulting9894]

Hi Traci. I shared this link some years ago when I did U.Lab (www.edx.org/course/ulab-leading-from-the-emerging-future) and wanted to make it possible for people to find this particular piece. I think of Generative Listening as drawing on deeper/broader ways of knowing than purely cognitive. Perhaps it's accessing the knowledge of the heart and gut (as per U.Lab), perhaps it's connecting more with the right brain as per Iain McGilchrist's work (channelmcgilchrist.com/), perhaps both, or something else. Whatever is going on it seems to provide a more systemic understanding and opens possibilities that otherwise may remain hidden. While I'm not sure how it comes about, I've personally experienced, and seen others experience, some pretty extraordinary insight arising from this mode of listening.

[@AlphaMinx44]

@@threefoldconsulting9894 thank you for your insigt and swift reply, I shall folow the links you have left here for me, I hope the penny drops for me, as i want to understand :) Thank you for your response, much appreciated :)

[@heroicoach]

Awesome...

[@alexanderv4609]

Nice, but how do you reach the level 4?

[@threefoldconsulting9894]

This is my experience...To the best of my abilities I set aside my judgements and need to be "right" or "fix" anything, turn up the volume on my curiosity, compassion, courage and calm, and often I close my eyes. I let the words wash through me and pay attention to what arises in me as I listen. I may not clearly notice the words themselves. As I listen I may have an image come into my mind, or feel something in my body, or remember a song. Later, when I share that with the person who was speaking it often seems to open up a new insight which helps them find fresh possibilities.

[@alexanderv4609]

@@threefoldconsulting9894 thank you, I will try this

[@philippeschoen9822]

Level 4 : who am I to judge the future possibility of the person i am listening to ?? Everything I can tell her/him is biased by my own experience and representations. This is wrong as most coaches are wrong. It is funny to observe the ridiculous body language when he is trying to convince about this listening level.

[@threefoldconsulting9894]

I agree Philippe, I don't think we should be "judging" others' future possibilities either. Do I take it you haven't experienced level 4 listening yourself yet, either as speaker or listener? I've frequently had images come up for me when listening from level 4 which meant nothing to me, but when shared with the speaker gave them a highly meaningful and useful insight. And I've seen similar things happen between others. I can't explain how it happens, only accept it does. I don't notice any judgement in it, or even conscious thinking.

[@philippeschoen9822]

Yes i have experienced it in a U Lab session as speaker. It was awful. As I said "judgement" i meant "assess", maybe it's a more accurate word. But at the end, it's the same result. I was deeply disappointed by the U theory.

[@threefoldconsulting9894]

I'm so sorry to hear you had a bad experience Philippe. It's usually experienced as a highly supportive process but it sounds like your session didn't work out that way for you.

[@whitneymacdonald4396]

I think the idea (if done well) is not that we are judging but rather perceiving what is trying to emerge in the other and believing in it. I found this formulation of this idea helpful: Faithfulness “Let your loyalty to another human being come about in this way: there will be moments - quickly passing by - when (they) will seem to you filled and illumined by the true, primal image of (their) spirit. Then can come, yes, will come, long stretches of time when your fellow-being seems clouded, even darkened. But learn at these times to say to yourself: The (perception I had of their) spirit will strengthen me; I will remember the true, unchanging image that I once saw. Nothing at all - neither deception nor disguise - can take it away from me. Struggle again and again for the true picture that you saw. The struggle itself is your faithfulness. And in those efforts to be faithful and to trust, a human being will come close to another as if with an angel’s power of protection.” -Rudolf Steiner