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Resources for a Conversation:
ERIC LAW'S PROCESS
Eric H. F. Law has a wonderful technique for active listening in his work The Wolf Shall Dwell With the Lamb. The technique is presented as a tool for multicultural conversation and dialogue, but it seems valuable for any number of settings and circumstances. Below is an adaptation of Law's mutual invitation technique.
Begin by letting everyone know the amount of time provided for the group's conversation.
Carefully name the topic to be discussed or the information to be shared or the question (s) to be answered.
Read the following directions: In order to ensure that everyone who wants to share has the opportunity to speak, we will proceed in the following way. The leader/convener will share first. After that person has spoken, he or she invites another person to share. The person whom you invite does not need to be the person next to you. After the next person has spoken, that person is given the privilege to invite another person to share. If the person invited does not wish to say anything, that person simply says "pass" and proceeds to invite another to share. This process is followed until everyone has been invited to speak.
The process is a discipline for the group that allows everyone to share the power of selection and everyone to share the power of response. Be patient with one another. Allow time between invitations to hear what has been said. A person may wish to pass on speaking, but no one should be allowed to pass on inviting.
No one should invite for another. If the person who is supposed to invite forgets to do so, remind them that they have the privilege of selection.
(Eric H. F. Law's The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb (St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 1993), p. 113-114)
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