Four principles of "story listening"

1.    Worthiness. Every human story is worthy of being heard.

Every story is an opportunity for the listener to practice empathy. 

2.    Presence.  Listening is akin to meditation.

True listening requires presence of mind and deep focus.

3.    Safety.  Actively cultivate a safe space for sharing and deep reflection.

Non-judgmental listening is critical.  Each human has a unique and complex context behind the decisions they make.  The listener must honor the storyteller and urge the storyteller to go deeper with questions like: “What do you make of that?” or “Why do you think that happened?”

4.    Gratitude.  Sharing is deeply vulnerable.

Not everyone wants to share personal stories, and that’s okay.  If someone does share, the listener must thank the storyteller and offer his or her confidence.