Learning: April 2004 Archives
I have been thinking a lot about active listening (and reading) and how it relates toLinda Stone's discussion of continuous partial attention. Jon Porcaro's recent post on the subject explains how he systematically reads blogs and follows up on conversations that emerge; noting his epithanies. Clearly, one of the most important things for me is to do the same, but to also time box the discovery process; it can be an incredible time waster. You must also need time to stop to think about the ideas that you have assimilated or ignored, reflecting on what patterns have emerged and how your interests have changed.
Some good advice about how to be more intentional and mindful in your information gathering and analysis. Apropos of that, let me point, once again, to Ellen Langer's excellent work on Mindfulness and The Power of Mindful Learning. You might also want to take a look at the late Don Schon's The Reflective Practitioner.
Active Listening (and Reading). Piers Young wrote a post called Listening and Anecdotes. Something he said made me realize that getting great advice is one thing, actively thinking about it and doing something with it is something else! He quotes one of the pieces... [John Porcaro: mktg@msft]
[McGee's Musings]
