Tools for Listening and the Needham Thrives Lab May 8, 2025 

NRN FOUNDATIONS: LISTENING TO UNDERSTAND VS. PERSUADE

We are in a time of deep societal uncertainty and change. Americans are anxious, fearful, and vigilant. When identity divisions drive the world around us, we too are influenced by them. We have siloed news sources. We know that people evaluate others based on their perceived group affiliations. We are socially segregated more than in decades. And people are walking around with a general sense of distrust. We enter rooms ready to defend and persuade. However, this moment is also an opportunity. In unsettled times, we seek new frames and approaches. It’s a chance to bridge. We need to build understanding across our differences in order to build a bigger “we”. 

Scott Shigeoka, author of SEEK: HOW CURIOSITY CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND THE WORLD, says: “We need to search for stories rather than positions, and values rather than views”.

SAVE (Stories, Actions, Values, Emotions)  

In small groups of 3, NRN leaders explored the experiences of listening to understand and being listened to. Each group member had an opportunity to share a story, and alternately take specific listening roles, focused on the actions, emotions and values in the story. 

Stories/Storyteller (3 min)

• You overcame a challenge…tell your story.

Actions & Emotions (1 min)

These elements can be separated out into 4 person groups)

• Be a reporter: Who? What? When? Where? How?
• Notice the emotions in the story: In reference to who or what? How would you describe the storyteller’s emotions both in the story and as they’re retelling it?

Values (1 min)



• What were the speakers' intentions that shaped their actions? 
• What were the values beneath the intentions? 
• What does the speaker care about? What is important to them?

LARGE GROUP SHAREBACK

Below are participants’ reflections on the SAVE activity, in blue. 

• This exercise brought a tremendous and instant connection with people actively listening 

• I felt very privileged to be hearing the stories 

• The individual roles were difficult as were listening for just that; to be analytical and listen emphatically, and listen both generally and specifically are a lot to put together 

• I find it helps when you just listen to the whole story, then think of your task

• It was uplifting to actually hear the story that I talked about from another person’s perspective, especially when opening yourself up and feeling vulnerable

• This brought a lot of self-reflection - these are the real challenges of human interaction

• Made me wonder if when I’m listening, are there components that I’m missing…Am I perceiving their story in ways different than they are? 

• In order to understand what’s really happening in a story, it takes a lot of listening and processing 

• We feel lighter after SAVE 

• I really like the framework because you go straight to the core values 

• For me, I was writing notes, which doesn’t happen in normal life, so practicing the process is important 

• People share at different levels of openness, and you realize you can’t assume and need to really listen. And when others are doing this for you, you feel really heard.

WELLNESS-INFORMED PRACTICES, PROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES

Over the past month, Cohort 2 liaisons returned to their subnetworks and shared:  

1) A summary of their group’s Discovery Session responses.

2) Highlights from their Discovery Session with the rest of their subnetwork via an email, personal conversations, meetings, and through public-facing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

3) Highlights from the Mental Health First Aid training.

4) The Practices, Programs, and Activities List (an outgrowth of NRN Discovery Data on Hopes and Aspirations for Mental Health in Needham and professional best practices in wellness activities). The List highlights those activities in which our subnetworks can engage either internally or in collaboration with other groups and/or town or community agencies and organizations. 

This review in each subnetwork was followed by a consideration of a wellness-informed activity, practice or program they could create that would be aligned with their community’s needs and goals. The Cohort was also invited to consider every day or small-scale practices aimed more at prevention and wellness than intervention or response. At the May meeting, liaisons then shared draft details of these programs or activities, including goals of and inspiration for their planning, logistics, and marketing strategies. 

NEEDHAM THRIVES LAB

Our Thrive Lab offers a chance to give and receive feedback on each other's projects, consider possibilities for collaboration, and offer support as each liaison presented:

1. The imagined program, including the goals and alignment with the group’s needs 
2. The marketing and outreach strategy
3. The support needed, including logistical, collaboration, and expert consultation

A brief summary of some of the Thrives activities and program plans followed, with more detail and refining to come through June and summer (note that a second group of liaisons will present in June).  

NEEDHAM COMMUNITY COUNCIL 

• Planning a Healthy Mind Platter, to support and enhance the experience of NCC Volunteers. This series will offer education and special opportunities (learning, thrift shop sessions, socializing) using the expertise in and beyond the volunteer group. 

HISPANAS of NEEDHAM 

• Aiming to establish themselves as a group in Needham via regular in person meetings. Activities will include celebration of holidays, observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, cultural programing and more. Will share mental health resources and be a hub for establishing healthy practices.  
• Additional aspirations include having every country of origin of the group members represented at the Needham Multicultural Fair, creating a social media platform and website, and serving as mentors for Hispanic/Latino children.  

TOWN of NEEDHAM 

• Has created the Lifecycle Series of learning to acknowledge the staffs’ life experiences and how they can and do contribute to their mental health. This learning will have rotating themes that respond to trends/concerns amongst the staff and will be hosted by Needham Human Resources Department and Needham Youth and Family Services.

NEEDHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS 

• Will pilot a project that supports faculty wellbeing, through enhancing staff connectedness and belonging at Sunita Williams School. Admin & SEL committee members intend to offer staff three activities: Mindful Moments, acknowledging staff experiences through a “good news bulletin board”, and creating a supportive response plan for staff experiencing challenges. 

NEEDHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT 

• The Discovery sessions identified trauma and the associated stigma around “having to be strong” as a challenge for all police officers. This initiative will include mental health training and peer mentoring and will codify officer wellness with regard to critical incident response. It also normalizes debriefing incidents and relief of duty for officers responding to traumatic incidents. Trainers for the initiative are from Riverside Community Cares.

INDIAN COMMUNITY OF NEEDHAM 

• Proposes a community conclave, possibly focused on AI: A marvel or Menace in a half day panel led session, open to the public, with thematic panels. This delightful presentation previewed the use of AI. ICON will be seeking collaboration with other partners. 

CLOSING PULSE

Below are participants’ one word closing reflections in blue. 

• Creative 
• Collaboration
• Connection 
• Inspired
• Opportunity 
• Delight
• Reflection
• Emotional 
• Excitement 
• Hopeful 

GROUP BIO: LEAGUE of WOMEN VOTERS - Karen Zarrow

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization.  There is a National US league and leagues for each state and most towns. Main activities include:

• registering voters, 
• providing voter information, 
• boosting voter turnout, and 
• advocating for voting rights

The first meeting of the Needham League was held in 1940 with 50 members and formed two study groups: Foreign Policy and “Know Your Town”. The Needham league is one of the largest in Massachusetts with over 200 members. The LWV-Needham is open to all and welcomes new membership by any Needham Resident.

Programming includes: 

• Voter Services – Voter’s Guide, Candidate’s Night, Rides to polls on election day, Town Meeting Warrant Meetings, New Town Meeting Member Orientations, High School Voter Registration 

• Civic and Youth Engagement: sponsoring lectures and the Needham High School LWV Club and Civics Showcase, Civics Series with NCE – Needham Community Education, Scholarships

• Forums - lectures and educational sessions on local and national issues

• Studies – LWV is nonpartisan and only takes a position on an issue after a study is completed detailing pros and cons

• July 4th Parade float – since 2015 the LWV-Needham has had a float in the parade reflecting our mission – Empowering Voters – Defending Democracy

• Town Meeting Member – 25 Year Awards – taken over from the Melick Foundation in 2022 – continues the awards established in 2001



Onward!

Bala (NRN Lead Facilitator) 

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