Opening Listening Programme

Find out more about how we help staff and students navigate difficult conversations and build a culture of active listening.

Building a culture of understanding

At Sussex, passions and deeply held values are some of our great strengths. They can, however, occasionally result in conflict between colleagues.

Although conflict is part of life and can lead to understanding, stronger relationships and positive change, it can sometimes cause harm.

The Open Listening Programme seeks to build the individual and collective capacity of staff and students for engaging with difficult conversations and ‘hot topics’ and to develop a culture of listening and understanding across different life experiences and identities. Open Listening is an experiential process that includes theory and practice.

About the programme

Open Listening introductory workshops and activities were delivered across the University in 2023 and 2024, providing conflict theory combined with structured and facilitated space for active listening and dialogue.

In 2023, we developed and launched a pilot Open Listening Programme. The programme aimed to foster inclusive listening approaches, helping colleagues learn how to work effectively with interpersonal conflict and build stronger relationships based on respecting differences. The results of the pilot were overwhelmingly positive and further experiential and practical workshops were provided in 2023 and 2024 to explore:

  • conflict theory: what happens when we disagree? Conflict Theory offers models for understanding the dynamics of conflict, exploring reactions, positional and personal power, choices and outcome-based responses.
  • open listening spaces: what helps or hinders us in speaking and being heard? Open Listening Spaces explore principles and intentions for listening and speaking.

Workshop feedback from staff

“I felt very heard and noticed the difference between this process and a typical conversation. I liked the focus on purposeful listening.”

“It was valuable. It got me thinking about a lot of things, and ...resulted in my operating differently with those I was around.”

“Certain parts of the session were very revelatory.”

“Quite searching exercises but very well managed to create a supportive environment.”

“This could be very useful for bringing about positive change at Sussex in a meaningful way.”

“It was a very powerful session.”

Outcomes identified by participants included increased understanding and skills for working with differences, and many expressed an interest in getting further involved in the programme.

Workstreams

  • Introductory
    • termly workshops open to all staff
    • workshops as part of the leadership programme.

    Staff can book onto available workshops through .

  • Thematic
    • interventions to meet specific needs (dialogue responding to tensions arising within the University community)
    • exploration of current relevant topics.
  • Applied

    A programme of training and support for a participant group to deepen and implement the understanding and skills gained from introductory workshops. It also pilots a pathway for disseminating the Open Listening process, contributing to the process of culture shift.

To find out more about the Open Listening Programme, email the EDI team at EDI.unit@sussex.ac.uk.