Listening well in a digital age
The topic was ‘What are the digital methods that can build good conversations, including with those that are often left out, and allow people to develop solutions together?’
The first speaker was Karin Woodley, from Cambridge House in Southwark, London. She is the ‘thought leader’ for the Better Way on the theme of radical listening – not least listening beyond the surface level, and framing conversations in ways that challenge the prevailing top-down methods.
The second speaker was Paul White, from eCulture Solutions. Paul has a background in local government and is now developing a digital platform so that those engaged in social action in Devon can more easily discover each other and combine their efforts.
Here are some of the key points made by speakers and in discussion:
We should not remain stuck in old ways. Digital methods can have positive and liberating effects – not least opening up access to events for people who would not be able to afford the cost of travel, or who are time poor. Moreover, digital conversations can have an equalizing effect, with contributions given more equal weight, and no ‘top table’.
There are of course negative aspects. A significant minority experience severe digital exclusion. Digital communications can be shallow, with less opportunity for informal encounters, and less ability to explore ideas together. And because digital meetings operate according to a similar template there is little that distinguishes one digital discussion from another – they all blur into each other, and are easily forgotten.
But these are not good reasons to turn our backs on digital methods – all forms of communication have limitations and can produce exclusionary effects. We shouldn’t become over-protective or paternalistic, it was suggested.
And some of the negative effects can be reduced by the design of online meetings – allowing more time for meaningful engagement, with more space for introductions, and for post-event reflection.
In order to ‘animate the quiet voice’ it can be helpful to start with an in-person connection, then make digital tools available which can add further value.
And what can matter most, whether in the online or in-person world, is learning to listen without an agenda, and learning to listen to those who are raising a concern with you to understand, not to respond. And people need to have confidence that they can manage their story, and that it will not be exploited for the benefit of others (including by social sector organisations).
Where the means of communication is shaped by the users themselves (with assistant from professionals when needed) a digital platform is more likely to be widely used. Karin Woodley gave an example where young people concerned about relationships with the police gathered data via social media channels which they designed - 4,500 young people across the country took part.
Looking to the future, things will continue to change with Virtual Reality, and Avatars opening up new ways to interact online. We should embrace such change positively, some felt.