Deep Listening Training to Bridge Divides: Fostering Attitudinal Change through Intimacy and Self-Insight

Abstract

Deep, high-quality listening that offers a nonjudgmental approach, understanding, and careful attention when speakers share disparate views can have the power to bridge divides and change speakers' attitudes. However, can people be trained to provide such listening while disagreeing with what they hear, and if so, are the effects of the listening training sufficient for creating perceptible change during disagreements? This study, conducted with delegates (N = 320) representing 86 countries experimentally tested a “deep” (otherwise termed “high quality“) listening training against a randomly assigned subgroup of attendees who served as a “waitlist” control. During a conversation with another participant on a subject about which they strongly disagreed, participants who had completed a 6-h training over 3 weeks in high-quality listening demonstrated improvements in their observed listening behaviors, reported higher levels of interactional intimacy with conversation partners, appeared to increase their self-insight and subsequently, showed evidence of attitude change. Among the first studies to test semi-causal outcomes of high-quality listening training between attendees with diverse and contrary attitudes in a real-world, cross-national setting; we discuss the potential and limitations for listening training to support positive relations and an open mind in the context of discourse, disagreement and polarization.