Topic: The day I became a bird
The Day I Became A Bird is an illustrated story about relationships and feelings. It's a story of a little boy who transforms himself to capture the attention of the one he loves.
Project Talk + Listen is a practice to talk openly and listen empathetically.
It's an experiment and invitation to work with two experiences: talking with genuineness and transparency and listening from the other's point of view without judgment, evaluation, approval, or disapproval of the statements.
It's not a discussion. Rather, this practice is an opportunity to become aware of personal propensities (habits and patterns) around expressing and listening.
Aim for 30 minutes total. Each person gets half the time to talk and listen.
Talk transparently. Listen quietly.
Agree to be curious, flexible, open, and courageous.
Picture book The Day I Became A Bird written by Ingrid Chabbert Guridi and illustrated by Raúl Nieto Guridi.
1. Silently and together read The Day I Became A Bird. Then open the book to a page. I've used these pages for a Talk + Listen practices with friends.
Take turns talking and listening.
Say what you see. This might seem absurdly simply. It's not. This quote explains what is meant by describing and why it's important:
"Describing is a process of overall observing, particular noticing, and telling what you see or otherwise sense...To describe is to name it and its characteristics and qualities...People seem to believe that if what they are asked to describe is in front of you and them, then they think there is no need to say what they see because they wrongly assume that we all see the same things in the same way. We do not. We look at things differently, we notice different aspects, and we use different words when we tell about what we see." - Terry Barrett, CRITS (in contract, Bloomsbury Publishing, London)
2. Expand each of these two sentences into paragraphs.
When I see_____, I think...
When I see _____, I feel...
3. Later, reflect on your Talk + Listen experience. If you choose, share an insight with your partner.