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President's
Perspective
By Margarete Imhof, President 2007-2008
I
would like to use this year’s convention theme to describe
my first president’s perspective. It’s been only
a few weeks since we met in Frankfurt for our 28th annual
convention and it is none too soon to draw a line and to look
at the final balance. As far as I can see, the organization
and its membership have accomplished a good deal: We had almost
25 % of all attendees at the convention from non-US countries.
This is certainly a move into the right direction. We had
presenters from diverse parts of the world and thus, the interaction
was a truly intercultural experience. We also had the privilege
to listen to young researchers who shared their work and their
thinking on listening. This is a strong point, and I certainly
hope that the connection was made, too, to secure the continued
exchange of ideas and the building of new interest in and
appreciation of listening. In addition, we deepened the perception
of how listening is interwoven with other aspects of our professional
and personal lives, such as health care, virtual communication,
and personal communication in times of crisis and uncertainty.
Another
connection that I saw was represented by the follow-up sessions
of the Fall Listening Forum from Kansas City in 2006. It was
energizing to see how the discussions were continued and how
the collaboration between the members was deepened and extended.
The issues and research questions which had been generated
during the Fall Listening Forum proved to be a sound point
of departure to move on to even more specific research questions.
So, after all, we found that we have created a kind of summary
of the knowledge that we share on listening and that we can
put to practical tests, while recognizing all of the open
questions.
Interesting
and important connections were discussed when the broader
perspective of the current tensions and controversies which
determine our political and religious lives came into the
picture.
What is it that troubles the world? How do the current conflicts
affect our own lives? What are possible contributions that
we can make to resolve or to adjust to the conflicting views
of the world?
In
my view, a very important connection that was made became
visible in the impact that the ILA convention had on the participants
who came from several European countries. We, the Europeans
– if I may say so – feel strongly that we can
contribute a European voice to ILA. We have realized that
there are scholars, students, and practitioners of listening
in Europe who have both knowledge about and enthusiasm for
listening and that we should be working on making this voice
stronger, both within ILA and within our own professional
communities.
To
conclude, I would summarize that ILA should continue to celebrate
the “I” for international in its name. The effect
of going international works both ways: on the one hand, the
listening communities in the host country are supported and
energized; and, on the other hand, those who travel have a
chance to experience different ways and views and to reflect
on their accustomed perceptions. This is why I am honestly
convinced that listening lights the way and why I am looking
forward to preparing for the next convention - which is basically
around the corner. I hope to see you there!
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