Deep Listening Skills with Tessa and Julia

Deep Listening Skills with Tessa and Julia

From Circle Holding by Julia Davis and Tessa Venuti Sanderson

February 22, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 45

About this episode

Tessa and Julia discuss deep listening skills and practices to enhance group sharing and connection.

In this episode, Tessa and Julia: - gave two examples of settling practices to prepare the ground for listening - discussed the importance of caring for people's nervous systems as part of a circle - showed how your vulnerability may make it safer for others to share - shared guidelines that are essential for creating the container for deep listening - explored how pacing the sharing is important, including having time for people to listen to their thoughts before sharing aloud - how using a talking object can slow down turn taking - the role of the disrupter to listen to discomfort / undercurrents in the circle - a listening circle provides a different space that coaching or counselling - there can be value in not reflecting back or asking further questions - use of pairs and triads in the group setting to support deep listening skills - shared the possibility of people talking side-by-side rather than face-to-face to support listening -

People in this episode

Hosts: Tessa Venuti Sanderson, Julia Davis

Topics covered

  • deep listening
  • vulnerability
  • nervous systems
  • circle practices
  • group dynamics

Keywords

  • listening skills
  • settling practices
  • vulnerability
  • talking object
  • listening circle

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