Whole Body Listening is Not One Size Fits All
What size shoe do you wear? I’m a 9. A few years ago, I visited a good friend out of state. She had promised to take me on some beautiful hikes during my trip. Unfortunately, when I arrived I realized that I had left my hiking boots next to the front door! Thankfully my friend had an extra pair. The only problem was she is a size 8.5. At first it did not seem like a problem, the shoes were an ok fit. But as the hike went on I realized that my feet really sore and my body was beginning to ache. I realize this is obvious but the point I’m trying to make is that we all have different shoe sizes and if we tried to fit into ones that did not fit, there would be harmful outcomes.
Similar to finding the right shoe size, it is critical to find the best “fit” for our own listening profile. What works for one person may not work for others. This is especially impactful for learners who belong to traditionally marginalized communities, as their listening needs may differ significantly from the listening needs of the majority. This is why it is important to lean in with curiosity and compassion when supporting and guiding listeners so that each individual person is able to meet their listening needs.
Listening is arguably one of the most critical, complex, multi-layered skills in life. Listening is integrated into how we connect, communicate, learn, and evolve. It involves much more than ears hearing sounds and delivering them to your brain. Instead, it involves the whole body: ears, eyes, brain, mouth, body, feet, hands, and even heart. Suzanne Truesdale coined the term “Whole Body Listening” in 1990 to help students understand how their body is involved in listening. This concept was then developed into a poster and picture book with a character called “Whole Body Listening Larry” to support educators in structuring the concept of listening with their learners..
Larry found his way into many classrooms and homes. Unfortunately, Larry was selling only one shoe size. He explained that listening was done with eyes looking at the speaker, ears listening and following directions; mouth quiet; body, hands, and feet still; heart “caring” through standardized ways of showing empathy; and brain thinking about the person talking. This listening profile works for some individuals. For others, these strategies don’t help–and can even impede–their ability to listen. Larry’s strategies were performative and ridgid ways of categorizing how SOME people listen. The rules he set were not about what is best for the child’s listening needs, but rather what was best for the speaker. It required children to perform external, standardized behaviors of appearing to listen rather than exploring strategies that aid the internal listening process. It was not a practice in listening, but a practice in compliance.
Since creating Whole Body Listening Larry and his accompanying resources, we have learned more about how all brains and bodies are different. We are now on a mission to change these resources in order to help bring change to classrooms everywhere. We want to raise awareness that there are many ways that your whole body can support listening. We want to amplify the voices of those who were told to fit into a listening profile that wasn’t their size. We want to celebrate that some people do better when they stand or move their body, some when they look away, some when they hum or repeat back what they heard. We want to support the exploration of what works for each individual learner. We want to help shift focus to regulation over compliance. We hope that you will join us on this important journey as well.
