The ILA Listening Times August 2023

1. One of the great benefits of ILA membership is the opportunity to learn about, and participate in, Listening research. Eva Göksel is our new Research Team Chair. Congratulations, Eva! The team will be working closely together to support Listening research. The international team have a particular interest in qualitative Listening research, which will likely be the first topic the group explores when it next meets, most likely in October. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact Eva eva.goeksel@uzh.ch

2. ILA member Jim Macnamara has been running workshops for the World Health Organization (WHO) on 'Communication for Health' across the Western Pacific region – such important work.

3. Building Understanding: In preparation for ILA’s 8th annual International Day of Listening September 21, 2023 join us for the final session of our program on Listening to Heal Relationships. Krishna Naineni, Sheila Bentley, and Tamsin Hartley will share guidelines for building understanding in all contexts, including healthcare on Sept 6, 8-9am (CDT). Register on the ILA website at https://listen.org/page-1860403

4. On the first day of our 44th ILA convention in Mainz, Germany, the German national public radio station Deutschlandfunk Kultur broadcast an interview with ILA member Margarete Imhof. The host started with a question on the difference between hearing and listening and if, why, and how listening can be learned and taught; what makes a good listener and how responsible listening can make the world a better place. The interview (in German) is available at https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/interview-102.html. Congratulations, Margarete on this great opportunity to tell the world about Listening!

5. ILA member Kay Lindahl’s program "Listening as a Sacred Art and a Spiritual Practice: Honoring the Light in Each Other" has been selected as one of the featured presentations for the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions. Congratulations, Kay! https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/2023-chicago/

6. ILA Board Member, Annie Rappeport attended her first in-person International Association of Genocide Scholars conference. Her research involves understanding genocide through Listening to survivors, descendants, and peace workers in order to stop and prevent atrocities in our world. She presented specifically on the power of survivor-centered memory of the Cambodian genocide and was a top three finalist for the Emerging Scholar Award in the field https://www.annierappeport.com/post/my-new-office-1

7. This link about handling conflict is recommended by ILA member Lori Joubert. The International Listening Association is mentioned and Lori believes that Dr. Kim’s training on this topic has significant value to the practical application of listening: https://www.iths.org/event/handling-everyday-conflict/. Lori was recently honored to present to YEAR UP! Students at Seattle Central College on the topic: Collaboration: Closing the Opportunity Divide” https://www.yearup.org

8. We are delighted to announce that our ILA International Journal of Listening has been accepted for inclusion in the American Psychological Association database one of the

leading databases for bibliography in the social sciences. Our journal has been accepted for selective indexing which means that PsycInfo, their comprehensive bibliographical service, will classify our Journal under the heading Behavioral Science. This is a major step towards advancing research and knowledge about Listening. The latest edition of our ILA International Journal of Listening, Volume 37, Issue 3, is now available free online to ILA members including this Research Article: Listening In Silence: A Comparative Analysis Of Communicative Behaviors Across Listening Constructs by Michelle M. Matter and Elizabeth S. Parks. Remember to log on to the ILA website for free ILA member access.

9. ILA members Colin Smith and Raquel Ark have been hosting Listening Circles training for ILA members for about 18 months. This training is proving to be a great place to connect and re-connect with ILA Members, an opportunity to bring questions such as, “How might we build rapport/trust quickly in conversations that have time constraints?” or “Is it ok to earn money with listening and what are your experiences with the inner dialogue to be ok with listening first?”. There is a two-page handout highlighting the history of Listening Circles and a framework for the way we facilitate them. For more information, to get on the mailing list, or to ask a question, please email Colin Smith colin.smith@dexteritysolutions.co.uk or Raquel Ark raquel.ark@listen.org

10. As part of the ILA Student Practicum Project, ILA member Manisha Asrani’s ‘Listening to Stories in Medicine’ project is now underway to create spaces for medical residents to share experiences and practice narrative listening. The project will also include creative writing exercises as a means to connect and process both the highest highs and lowest lows often encountered on a daily basis in the lives of physicians. Initially, this project will include India and United States contexts.

11. ILA Organizational Member Someone to Tell It To has partnered with Church World Service Harrisburg, Pennsylvania so that refugee communities from Afghanistan from can learn to care for their mental wellness by drinking tea, talking, and Listening together. They listened to stories of loss due to violence and war. The best Listening occurs when we see the person in front of us as having inherent worth, value, something to teach us, and a story that is worthy of being heard. Great work by ILA members Tom Kaden and Michael Gingerich.

12. A warm ILA welcome to all our new members this month especially highlighting Franziska, James, Patricia, Susan, Juli, Rosalma, Rob, Abigail and Matthew from Canada, China, UK and USA. Please let us know how you plan to get maximum benefit from your ILA membership.