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Listening Palettes

Listening is perhaps one of the most complex things we as humans do, because it invovles being in relation to others, our surroundings, and even our inner vocies. The tool Listening Palletes provides ways of expanding how you listen and what you notice when you engage your whole self in the act of listening. And when you use Listening Palletes in a group, you can learn about what other people notice, discover things you weren’t paying attention to, and find out ways of listening that may be unique to you. In this version of Listening Palletes, Liz descries the tool and what you need to get started. Then you can follow along with an example with Professor Beckett Sterner from an interdisciplinary course that brought together artists and scientists to learn about biodiversity loss.

Overview

You’ll want some paper and writing utensils. When you’re trying Listening Palettes for the first time, we suggest a large piece of paper and some different colored pens or markers, so that you have more space and options as you record what you notice. As Liz introduces the tool, consider the things you typically listen for. You can even make a list on your Listening Palette. Then, once Beckett Sterner beings talking about global biodiversity loss, you can create your listening palette in response to his talk.

As you listened to Beckett Sterner talk about global biodiversity loss, what sorts of responses did you record? Did you happen to notice how students in the video were using their listening palettes? If not, you can re-watch the video and see whether there were things they were listening for, or ways of recording what they noticed, that are new to you. You can always return to a Listening Palette and organize information, for example by creating labels, crossing things off, expanding on parts, or creating relationships. Try creating another Listening Palette in relation to something else: a video on YouTube, a classroom lecture, a work meeting, or even while you’re in conversation with someone else.