Listening for the Unspoken

One leadership skill that I’m currently focused on cultivating personally is the ability to listen for the words that are not spoken.

There are times when the most important part of a conversation is what is not being said. A sales prospect is not letting on to the real reason preventing them from buying. A friend or colleague isn’t directly saying what is most important to them because they don’t feel completely safe. An intimate relationship doesn’t want to hurt us by saying what they are truly feeling.

While this presents a fantastic opportunity to deepen our trust and create a container that allows for safe, direct conversations, it’s also not always going to be possible to get to that depth in the moment. And that’s absolutely ok.

When we are truly engaged in deep listening, we can begin to decipher what is being said to allow us to understand what is not being said. This opens up a portal for us to invite in the unspoken parts of the conversation.

By reading between the lines, we can bring greater coherence to any relationship through creating a container of greater safety, intimacy and trust.