The Seventh Annual Tom Tom Founders Festival is a week-long celebration of innovators, visionaries, and artists who are shaping small cities. The Festival occurs at dozens of venues throughout downtown Charlottesville.
Listening poorly has become second nature. With so much noise, we've become numb. Between email, text, Slack, and the latest social media craze, we've forgotten - or never learned - how to really listen. We are trained to listen to the content or for the problem that needs to be fixed rather than to the person speaking. We listen for information and then when we think we've got it, we stop listening. Or we listen just enough so we can simultaneously formulate the response we want to make. But the other person is attempting to connect with us, not just exchange data. But true listening is how we develop deeper understanding and connection. It's how we open conversation for a more creative path. Listening is at the heart of how we relate to our colleagues, our friends and family, and our community. In this workshop, participants will see the power of listening globally. We'll build skills to help participants learn to listen to everything observable by sense: what your hear, see, smell, feel, and intuit. They will understand how curiosity and listening with purpose can transform their relationships and their leadership.