Listen for the last playable word

The move: listen for what becomes playable, not just what begins the sentence. Active listening is not polite silence. It is a disciplined form of attention that changes the next move. In improvisation, a partner may enter the scene with a line that seems obvious, then reveal a detail that changes the whole direction. In work, the same thing happens when a colleague starts with status and ends with the blocker, starts with a complaint and ends with a need, or starts with a joke and ends with a risk. A reliable cue is the last playable word. Ask yourself:…

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