Listening Without Persuading
A sheet where two people who think differently take turns listening
This sheet is for two people who think differently to sit face to face and listen only to each other's reasons, without trying to persuade.
The listener, not the speaker, holds the pen. They write down the reasons they heard on the speaker's behalf.
The sheet offers the topics first. They're things unlikely to strain the relationship, like housework or days off.
How it works
- Pick one thing to talk about today from the top, and decide who speaks first.
- While one person speaks, the other listens without interrupting and writes the reasons on the lines below on their behalf.
- Read back what you wrote aloud, ask whether you got it right, and have them mark it.
- On the next sheet, swap the speaker and the writer and repeat the same steps.
When · with whom
It suits two people whose views often clash. Rather than opening it right after an argument, sit down together on a day when things have settled.
Listening Without Persuading
- ✦ Why did you come to think that way? Did something happen that led you there?
- ✦ Read back exactly what you wrote and ask — did I get it right?