We run out of questions when we are finished listening. Deep hearing is the art of generating deeper curiosity from a person’s answers by carefully observing their words, tone, and body language. Deep hearing is a kind of prayer that involves conscious reliance on the Holy Spirit, intense focus on the speaker, and real-time, internal processing of both. It creates questions through a “What / Why” axis. The listener focuses to understand what is being said (words, tone, body language) and prayerfully asks himself why it is being said.
Deep hearing is the art of generating deeper curiosity from a person’s answers by carefully observing their words, tone, and body language.
The “What” can be easy to discern. The “Why” can be more difficult to perceive. A person’s “Why” can be good or bad, right or wrong, complete or partial, obvious or obscure, or some mix. But it always operates out of their presuppositions and deeper motivations. By working on a clear understanding of “What” and prayerfully exploring your best perception of “Why” good questions will begin to emerge. However, remember that you are exploring with them, not for them. Hold your perceptions and ask your questions humbly.
Stay tuned for Part 3 where we’ll discuss Two Kinds of Questions: Didactic and Discovery.
