> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.gilespcroft.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Listening for information - URL: https://www.gilespcroft.com/listening-for-information/ - Published: 2026-06-12T06:00:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-06-12T06:00:04.000Z - Description: It's no different from listening for insight, really 👂🏻 - Author: Giles P Croft - Tags: Listening, Attention, Careers, Creativity, Focus, MECHANICS, Parenting, Presence, Real stories, Relationships, Thought realisation, Wisdom I spend a lot of time—here, with groups, helping [individuals](https://www.gilespcroft.com/individuals/)—talking about a different kind of listening; a [way of listening](https://www.gilespcroft.com/how-are-you-listening/) that gets us out of our stories and opens us up to wisdom, opportunity and fresh new ideas & solutions. A few weeks ago I attended a conference, all about listening, and the speakers there were united in their standpoint: **listen *beyond* the words** was the message, reinforcing this notion that [listening is a creative process](https://www.gilespcroft.com/creative-listening/). So we had Aaron Turner, saying: > *“If you don't listen, you don't hear anything other than your own thoughts!”* And Jack Pransky describing listening as *“going blank”*. Fenella Blakaj, speaking about how we interact with kids, said that *“If we listen quietly ourselves, we can hear a child's wisdom.”* And Stef Cybichowski told an incredibly moving story about how when he properly *listened* to his endlessly-complaining father, with literally nothing on his mind, he connected to him in a way that he'd never done before – a moment that changed their relationship for ever. [Creative listening](https://www.gilespcroft.com/creative-listening/)—or listening for insight—is powerful stuff, and it's as relevant [in the boardroom](https://www.gilespcroft.com/logical-and-magical/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%27m%20not%20really%20listening!%E2%80%9D%20%F0%9F%98%B2) as it is [in the bedroom](https://www.gilespcroft.com/are-you-having-a-relationship-in-your-head/). So, while I'm certainly not a master practitioner or anything (ask my wife/daughter), this notion of listening ‘beyond the words’ is there in the background with many of the interactions I have… if only because I've seen for myself [how effective it is](https://www.gilespcroft.com/17-days-innate-health/#listening-as-a-catalyst). But then I started my [new job](https://www.gilespcroft.com/the-not-quite-daily-daily-reminders/). Where I ~~didn't~~ don't know anything, and I'm absorbing new information and facts to remember like water on a sponge that's been left out in the sun. It's funny, at first I freaked out a little bit. The Giles Ego Construct 📦 was all like, > 📦🗣️ *“Oh my god! You can't listen for insight any more, you need to listen *properly*! No more of this fancy-schmancy coachy-stuff, you're in the real world now, boy!”* For a moment there, it had me convinced that I'd have to learn (re-learn) a different way of listening, in order to learn the ropes. And then, during one conversation, as I started to fret, I spotted what was happening. I had *stopped* listening. My attention was on my own thinking, once again. 🤦🏻‍♂️ It helped me to realise that whether you're in a conversation that's [ripe with conflict](https://www.gilespcroft.com/how-arguments-start/), or you're taking on board new information from another person, or you're watching a training video, the principles remain the same: 👂🏻 You're either listening, or being **distracted* from listening, by the mind. In my case, it was only when I spotted thoughts like, - *I don't know what that means!* - *How would I go about doing this?* - *I think they're assuming I know more than I do* - *Oh Jesus I can't ever imagine any of this making any sense to me – all is lost!* …that I realised (again) I'd become distracted and the answer was to be present to the situation and take wisdom's guidance. Which, a lot of the time, consists of me asking questions! One of my favourite Innate Health teachers, [Amy Johnson](https://gilespcroft.link/tjust-a-thought-book?ref=gilespcroft.com), always used to talk about *“showing up dumb”* to her sessions (because the opposite would be to come attached to [expectations](https://www.gilespcroft.com/expectations-fireworks/)), and I'm pleased to report that in my new job, I can confirm: **I'm a natural!** **😂** Giles SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY REMINDERS newsletter [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/2025/12/DR_Lockup-Black-1.png)](#/portal/signup) Want to start **your* days with helpful, insightful content like this? The Daily Reminder is a quick, lighthearted email that arrives in your inbox, to help keep you grounded in reality, so that you get to **‘Think less, and live more.’* **“They feel like a moment of stillness in a world of madness.” \~* Neil, UK **“One of those small things with big impact. Honestly, just sign up!”* \~ Paula, UK [GET YOURS NOW ](#/portal/signup) ### Related [Listening - The Daily RemindersAn appreciation for the alchemy that occurs when truly present to what’s being said.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/icon/DR_Lockup-Black-3-4dbe37ae-8ff0-46af-8c35-239e191869ff.png)The Daily Reminders![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9b/f3/9bf3d316-7d32-494b-814f-a7d94d6358c3/content/images/thumbnail/Topic-image---Listening-854978f6-53e9-4a7a-97c0-6b164178e1d3.jpg)](https://www.gilespcroft.com/tag/listening/) All posts on the site tagged with **‘*[**Listening*](https://www.gilespcroft.com/tag/listening/)**’*