See a photo of Diane, her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.
Q&A with Diane Wyzga, Question 2:
Q: To what extent and in what ways has your background as an RN contributed to your story work?
A: What a great question! Critical listening began at the bedside, in the
emergency room, in the out patient clinic. Nurses hold the space for patients and families to tell their stories. I worked as a pediatric nurse, so I had to learn to employ a lot more whole-body listening to understand what was said between the lines. A child could tell you they were not hurting — so they could appear brave — but one look at the clenched face told another story.
For many years I had to listen stories out of patients, parents, siblings, and families. Some spoke English, others did not. Some were in this country legally, others were not. There were cultures and customs to learn. I recall taking care of a child who was a high-ranking member of a gypsy family. The family and its king camped out on the grounds of the hospital. Try understanding that story.
With this nursing background, I was primed to learn from someone like Doug Lipman who taught me that the teller knows the story they need to tell provided someone can listen it out of them. With my experience I am in a better place to help my clients identify, shape and effectively deliver the story they need to tell.
Indeed, listening carries over to focus group research, mock trials, and jury selection. Lawyers want to attend to the literal words someone uses to respond to a question. In truth, the real answer is revealed in metaphors, intention, tone of voice, comparisons, experiences and the like. The more adept we are at listening to how they said what they said, the better we can hear what is being said and why.