Playback Theatre is a model for deep listening and Playbackers listen to hundreds of stories. Often, a performance’s success is primarily determined by how well we’ve listened, and Deep Listening enables us to truly hear the Teller’s story – what they say, what they’re trying to convey, their beliefs and values, opinions and selves. top domain . So how do we listen so well?
We’ve identified four crucial elements to a Deep Listening Experience, as practiced in the Playback Theatre form.
We are first and foremost focused on the person telling their story – the Teller – which means putting aside our own thoughts. But at the same time, we need a small window on ourselves to be aware of which elements of the story touch us and what piques our emotions. It’s a fine balance.
We also listen (and watch) the Teller’s body language, the metaphors they use and the way in which they express themselves. These carry important elements about the meaning of the story to the Teller. So it’s self-aware listening – remaining aware of the Teller, ourselves and how the story makes us feel – but not getting too attached to ourselves so we can focus mainly on the Teller’s story.
An important essence of this is being present – giving oneself over to fully listen to the story being told in that moment. Letting go of thoughts about the time, the next step, their appearance, your own story, your to-do list etc. It’s vital to listen to a person’s story with your ears, your mind and your heart in order to more fully respond from the same place. In this way, your teller will feel heard more fully.
Four elements to Deep Listening –
• Be Present – be focused, be energetic, create the space to listen,be in the moment, use your intuition, remember to breathe
• Be in Relationship – accept what is said, don’t judge or block, be aware of the teller’s feelings, be aware of your feelings, contribute and build on what’s been said
• Express Yourself – use positive body language and words and express emotion
• Analyse – what is the heart or essence of the story, is there a specific context (individual, social, cultural), be aware of non verbal cues, what key elements are important (place, people, events), is there a metaphor that could capture the essence of what’s been said?
Come along to our six-week Empathetic Listening Workshop, starting Wed 21 Oct 15 with Sydney School of Playback trainers and book here.