In a post on Writers in the Storm, Jenny Hansen identifies seven kinds of listening that can help you craft strong characters. The seven levels of listening are:
1. Not Listening (aka Ignoring)
2. Pretend Listening (Passive Listening)
3. Partly Listening (Selective Listening)
4. Focused Listening with Undivided Attention (Attentive Listening)
5. Interpretive Listening (Understanding Beyond Words)
6. Interactive Listening (Responsive Engagement)
7. Engaged Listening (Empathic and Transformational Listening)
Whether we realize it or not, writers engage in #5 Interpretive Listening when we write. We look beneath what’s being said to find deeper meaning, using context clues, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions to identify subtext and find hidden messages.
The final item on the list – #7 Engaged Listening – is usually reserved for close friends or mentor/mentee relationships. “This is where a great conversation falls,” Hansen writes. “This listener is deeply involved. They understand what the speaker is saying in terms of words and emotions. In turn, they are showing their own empathy and connection. They are tangibly demonstrating their commitment to the speaker’s words.”
Engaged listening builds relationships, between your characters and between you and your reader. How?
- Trust. “This is the #1 benefit of this kind of connection,” Hansen says. “These two people have given their all to each other, and that forms a bond.”
- Mutual understanding and connection. “You see this with long-time friends or partners,” Hansen notes. “They can practically finish each other’s sentences. They’re completely tuned in to one another and it shows in their conversations.”
- Intimacy. “This kind of conversation gives a ‘safe space’ for the speaker to share their true thoughts and feelings,” Hansen explains. “It gives the speaker permission to be vulnerable.”
How well do your characters listen to one another? How well do you listen to your characters?
