Listening WITH Purpose & WithOUT Agenda - WithIn/Out Intunity Integral Listening

In Intunity Coaching we say that everything in the coaching relationship starts From the 'Who' & With the 'Why':

• Who is the Coach? And Who is (s)he becoming?
• Who is the Client? And Who is (s)he becoming?
• What are the personal Why's of the Coach?, and
• What are the personal Why's of the Client?
• What are the mutual Why's of the CoachClient Relationship? At any level or at any time during the coaching process? The Why's that are usually governed by the Client's Agenda.
  

That is where and how 'Listening with Purpose, and withOUT Agenda' comes into space...

---

What Makes Active Listening a Coaching Skill & Core Coaching Competency?

In many trainings we are taught what 'active listening' is and how to listen actively. However, what makes 'active listening' a coaching skill? What does it mean 'to listen actively' in coaching terms? And how is this manifested in the coaching realm? Let's have a quick look at how ICF, The International Coach Federation defines Active Listening:

Active Listening - Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client’s desires, and to support client self-expression.
- Listening without an agenda, distinguish between the words, tone of voice and body language. Level 2 and Level 3 Listening.
- Understands the essence of the client’s communication. Helps the client gain clarity and perspective rather than engaged in the story.

Multiple Levels & Several Dimensions of Intunity Listening - with only 1 Purpose: Serve Your Client!

In Intunity Coaching we distinguish among Multiple Levels of Listening, coming from 5 Main Dimensions or Domains ~ the Coach ~ the Client ~ the CoachClient Field/Relationship ~ Everything Else in the Outer World, and the 5th Dimension being what we call the Intunity Integral Listening. This is the Domain through which all the multiple levels of listening (Internal/External, Inner/Outer Voice, 4-Elements, etc.) unfold ~ both individually and simultaneously at one and the same time, and through all the four other dimensions alone and at once. Mastering this One Level of Integral Listening is what makes someone a Masterful Coach.

The Three Key Aspects of Listening in Coaching

Within the Central Core, within the 'nucleus' of the Intunity Integral Listening there are what we may call the three key aspects of Listening:

(1) Listening with Purpose ~ to be of service to the Client, fully embracing the Client's agenda and following him/her where they are heading to. Acknowledging WHY the Client is 'here and now' and letting the Client's agenda feed into the matter of the conversation. This is the WHY of both the Coaching Presence and the Coaching Relationship.

(2) Listening with Attention ~ being fully present in the here and now, together with and for the Client. ~ Just like in martial arts, Coach and Client bow at each other, acknowledging WHO the other is, before they set on a Journey, which is here 'governed' by the Client's 'fist'. ~ The Coach attends to WHO the Client is and WHO ELSE (s)he can be and is becoming by virtue of this Journey.

(3) Listening with Intention ~ the intention to be the best Coach for the Client, putting the Client's transformation before the Coach's own comfort zone. This forms the HOW of the Coaching Presence.

And just as in any other domain, the Principle of Purpose has the governing role here as well. That is to say that in a coaching relationship, the Purpose of the Relationship per se, is beheld at a higher plain than the plain of WHO the Coach is. Then and only then (after 'bowing' at one another, being summoned by the common 'Purpose' and the mutual Why) can both Coach and Client shine the Stars that they are.

This is how the Coach Listens WITH Purpose and WithOUT Agenda. With the agenda actually coming from WithOUT, that is from the Client ('Outer' Agenda), and feeding into the purpose of the conversation. Listening WITH Purpose and withOUT Agenda is what makes the difference in coaching. And it is again 'Listening WITH Purpose and withOUT Agenda' that makes the coaching type of listening different from any other type of 'active listening'.

Some Questions for You
<~~~*~~~>
Do Share with Us
What You Actually
Came Up To
(-:-:-)

- What are your personal WHY's in reference with you being a coach?
- What is the Purpose you are serving with your coaching?
- How would you describe your own style of listening in coaching?
- What is its colour? What its Sound? What is its Energy?
- What does it mean for you to Listen with Purpose & without Agenda?
- How do you do that?
- Who are you (+becoming) when you listen with purpose & without agenda?
- What is this 1 thing - that if you changed today about the way you listened - would make a huge difference in your coaching?

About the Author of this Article:

Gergana Pavlova is the Creativist, Co-Founder and Course Leader at Intunity Coaches™. She is also a Leadership Transformational Coach and Your FairyTale Coach, who inspires you to awaken your Inner Sage and voice him/her out ~ challenges you to cut through the dust and smoke ~ and supports you in playing your Bigger Game and in creating and living Your Own Legacy.

You may follow her on: Gery Pavlova's Blog or on LinkedIn