SDA/OC Webinar – Listen to your Listening: Overcome your Hurdles and Invisible Headphones to Transform Work Culture and Relationships

Have you ever found yourself listening to someone, then realize you are no longer listening and have totally zoned out or entered a rabbit hole of daydreams? It happens to everyone. Quality communication arises from how you interact with others, and too much emphasis is often placed on language to do the hard work of communication. Let’s face it, words can fail and there is a better way to connect. You have 2 ears and 1 mouth. . . let’s start using them in proportion! In this interactive session, you’ll learn:

• How to hold yourself present in any conversation and navigate challenging conversations

• “The Hurdles to Listening” everyone faces and how to maneuver them and communicate better

• The game-changing difference between “sloppy” listening and “clean and curious” listening

• How to ask questions that open you and others up to see things differently

• To grow a team that is more productive, innovative, and collaborative by listening differently

About the Speakers

Jennifer Edwards and Katie McCleary are coauthors of Bridge the Gap: Breakthrough Communication Tools to Transform Work Relationships from Challenging to Collaborative (McGraw-Hill, 2022).

Katie McCleary, MFA, is a storyteller, professor of leadership, and a socially driven entrepreneur who helps leaders, changemakers, and creatives launch big ideas that change lives Her work has appeared in Inc., Forbes, Shondaland, New York Post, Fast Company, Apple News, PBS, and more. She is the host of NPR CapRadio’s leadership podcast, “The Drive,” in partnership with The American Leadership Forum-MV chapter.

She also is the founder of 916 Ink, a nonprofit that has transformed over 4,500 vulnerable children and teens into confident authors featured in more than 200 publications. Katie was awarded the prestigious “Heart of a Hero” Award from Sacramento’s PBS channel. Mashable named her as a “Real Miss Americas” for her projects in low-income communities. Katie serves on the school board of Visions in Education and is an advisor for the College of Arts and Sciences and faculty in the Masters in Nonprofit Leadership program at Pacific University. She lives with her partner, 2 kids, and a menagerie of feathered and furry animals in Fair Oaks, California.

Jennifer Edwards, MA, is a business and leadership advisor working with Fortune 500 companies, corporate boards, entrepreneurs, and not profits, teaching and equipping them to manage their biological reactions when they are under pressure to better connect, collaborate, and make strategic decisions. Her clients include top leaders at eXp, Edward Jones, The American Red Cross, and other major corporations and non-profits nationwide. She is also a partner at Winning Streak Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on disruptive technology companies. She lives in Granite Bay, California and enjoys a vibrant life of family, cooking, wine, golf, the gospel, and building communities with great humans.