Listening

Listening not Hearing

I have been thinking a lot about COLLABORATION lately.
Since I have been involved in a project where that was the main axis to create work by, I have first as an observer and then as the documentarian witnessed this collaboration.
In a process with others I have noticed that communication is of course vital. Part of that is LISTENING, not hearing but listening. To make sure you understand something you can then paraphrase in order to clarify. Responding to an idea, thought or opinion before listening and understanding it fully, or as fully as possible, does make for communication jeopardy!
I have seen situations blow out of proportion just because there were meetings without key figures and not being able to hear all sides of a story, as people expressed themselves but not they did not listen..
Listening is an art. You have to let go of yourself and your own agenda while you listen so that you can take in the other fully. Then paraphrase if you need to and then take some time before response.
Strong emotions like anger are often misplaced and come from expectations, preconceived outcomes etc. Have an open mind and ear/eye to begin with and during the process as much as possible. Call meetings when communication needs to happen. Have a format that all can rely on and so can feel heard.
Collaboration can be the most fruitful extraordinary experience in the world! It can be fun and generate whole new works that could not have happened otherwise. Many art forms depend on collaboration like film. music, dance, and theatre. They are often the richer for it.
Still with collaboration you can get conflict. So there has to be a conflict resolution framework in place. Afterwards evaluation is a necessary learning tool and a skill to develop. Re-evaluation can then take place before another venture.
Begin by listening and learning to listen well.
That is a good first step to communication.