Thursday, October 10, 2024

listening as community building in public spaces

It was great to begin a research side project yesterday and sit at a public community event doing some ethnography.

The side project is researching the science of listening and social connection, seeking to understand what happens when adults gather for an hour to have great literature read aloud. It is a pro-bono AngelWings Ltd project that complements and localises my Birmingham University/John Templeton Cross-training research into the social impact of listening in community organisations.

This research side project will use a mix of methods, including observation and interviews with readers and listeners. So yesterday involved not only observing, but also introducing myself and the research with information and consent forms.

Hence, the photo is of a brand new research journal and pen for taking notes, along with consent forms and information.

For those who want to know more about the project and the connections I am making between researching listening and community building, see here.

Posted by steve at 08:42 AM

2 Comments

  1. I expect it depends on whether the event is structured for engagement or not

    Comment by Matt Stone — October 10, 2024 @ 1:42 pm

  2. Thanks Matt. It is fascinating to observe an event at which adults listen for a hour, without any verbal engagement being structured. I’m interested in the social impact that results from such listening, which of course has some similarities with lectures or religious services where people are often expected to listen, without verbal engagement being structured.

    Comment by steve — October 11, 2024 @ 9:06 am

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