Tuning In: The Three Levels of Listening in Coaching

A clear signal takes practice. Coaching mastery begins with learning to listen beneath the noise.

If you’ve ever fiddled with an old radio dial—or scrolled endlessly through playlists—you know that finding the right station isn’t instant. Sometimes you land on static, sometimes a signal cuts in and out, and sometimes—when everything aligns—you get crystal-clear sound.

That’s exactly how listening works in coaching. At first, the “frequency” can be full of noise—your own thoughts, their distractions, the surface-level words—but with intention and practice, you can tune in to hear what truly matters.

Listening, one of the five Co-Active Coaching Contexts, is also central to the ICF Core Competencies—especially Listens Actively and Maintains Presence. When you learn to listen beyond the words, you transform from a coach who hears conversation to one who feels the client’s truth beneath it.

Three Levels of Listening in Coaching

In Co-Active language, there are three distinct “frequencies” of listening that deepen your range as a coach:

• Level I: Internal Listening, where attention is tuned inward to your own thoughts.

• Level II: Focused Listening, where the spotlight moves fully to the client.

• Level III: Global Listening, where you attune to the entire field—the client, the energy between you, and what’s emerging in the space itself.

Each level builds on the last, moving you from self-centered awareness to full, systemic presence.

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