The collective intelligence levels of listening

Collective intelligence is the result of individual efforts, particularly the ability to listen. Building group awareness requires the ability to absorb what others say. So, how do we detect and/or acquire "good" listening skills?

The first time I heard about the levels of listening was during a training session given by IMPACT VALLEY . Our coach introduced us to three levels:

1. Passive Level: Listening without interrupting. When this level was mentioned, my inner voice said, “That's already a tricky one, but I think I manage most of the time.”
2. Active Level: Listening while preparing a response. You know, this feeling of a boiling answer ready to shoot as soon as they shut up? “Oh, damn, this is what I usually do. Does that mean I'm not at level 3?”
3. Generative Level: Forming a response by integrating what has been said as part of the truth. “Yeah, I’m sure I can become this kind of person!”

Then, he revealed to us a hidden level, like a super boss reserved for facilitators:

4. The group level: stepping aside and hearing what the whole group says, including what is not verbalised, reading between the lines, and connecting them

Even though this model is not the most documented (I don't even know where it comes from), it made me want to explore the topic. That's why I'm starting this series of articles here. Today, I even want to revisit it to make it clearer. I indeed find the last level a bit vague. And, since it is a scale, it is missing the zero level.

1. Zero Level: interrupt, don't listen
2. Respect Level: Accepting others talking
3. Active Level: Responding based on what is said (Note: no topic switch)
4. Generative Level: Integrating others statements as part of a truth
5. Synthetic Level: Considering all previous speakers
6. Group Level: Detecting what has not been said, but suggested, or even mimed through body language, including from those who have not spoken.

I represent this new framework as a pyramid because each level builds on the previous one. It is impossible to reach the synthetic level without having constructed the lower levels, and so on.

Moreover, what's unique about these models is that they emphasize the response: "not interrupting," "preparing the response," etc. In contrast, other models focus on inner dialogue (the little inner voice) before describing the effects on external speech (the response, verbal or non verbal). Here, the focus is more on the result. Good or bad? That's not the question. Listening can be evaluated from many different perspectives, and that’s why there will be a follow-up to this article.