ABSTRACT
This chapter revisits the role of the listener in listening, arguing that they are not merely active, they are engaged in a creative dialogue with the speaker. They impact the dialogue and the speaker by making their intention manifest through their qualities, presence and mind-set as well as through their skills as a listener. So who the coach is, matters. This chapter argues that each listening is bespoke and individual. The art of listening involves the coach in three types of integration. First, they integrate the four modes of listening together. Secondly, they bring together their intention, their awareness and their action. Thirdly, they integrate their learning about listening with who they are. To do this, the coach needs to avoid an array of listening ‘traps’, which requires deep self-awareness – both reflective and in the moment. That deep self-awareness is a crucial element in the coach’s development as a listener as they make their way along three paths: a path of technique, a path of self-management, and a path of self-expression.
