Listening and Empowering Children
February 13, 2023
Hosted by David Cooke
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Like everyone else, children want and need to be heard. The challenge is that sometimes they don’t know how to share what they see, hear, or experience, or know who to share with. Whether it is a matter of knowing how to express how they feel or knowing they have permission to express their truth, children need to learn how to share and know they can. Today’s episode explores how we help children know they have voice and how we encourage and educate parents on how to listen to these voices. This includes helping children to be connected to their experiences and find the confidence to vocalize them in productive and powerful ways.
Stop Telling and Start Listening
Mondays at 11AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
Everyone has an opinion. Everyone wants to be heard. Everyone wants to believe we are right! Reality check - we can’t all be right! Opinions are strong, beliefs are cemented, and tensions are high How do we navigate through all the noise and have healthy, open, honest and problem-solving conversations without getting into a heated argument? It all starts by learning to listen! This show is all about listening - Selfless Listening. It is about creating a safe, open, and accepting environment that • encourages the open sharing of strongly held and diverse beliefs • facilitates learning from the experiences and opinions of others To find connection and understanding in our diversity to enhance trust, develop relationships, and work together to solve even the most complex problems. Join me as we navigate our intense and passionate opinions to discover how to communicate beyond the divide that has developed between them. Stop Telling and Start Listening!
David Cooke
David Cooke has always been a learner and a problem solver. His gregarious personality, communication skills, and ability to connect with others had many predicting a sales career. Bristling at being labeled a salesperson, he acknowledges his passion for "helping others find what they are looking for" can be construed as a component of a selling mindset. He prefers to be seen as a relationship development professional. While navigating the chaos of his youngest child's heroin addiction, Dave discovered a unique approach to interacting with his son in this very dark, painful period of their lives. David discovered that meeting his son where he was, accepting him for who he was, and loving him unconditionally in that moment, completely redefined their relationship. Practicing loving acceptance required David to create a safe space for his son to share his story so David could better understand what his son was going through in the chaos of his addiction. The more David experienced a transformation in his relationship with his son, the more passionate he became about this commitment. Most important was a behavior he defined as Selfless Listening - creating a safe place for his son to share his journey without judgement, criticism or shame. Today Dave works with business leaders and parents, teaching them how to selflessly listen to build trust, enhance relationships and solve complex problems. It is also the foundational principle this show is built on.
