BLENDING

If you engage someone and fail to match their pace of breathing and talking you will fail to connect. If body language is not mirrored, feelings aren’t shared and you get defensive reactions which could close the conversation down. Blending can only be understood as an experience of “being on the same page” or having rapport.

You are not agreeing, surrendering or copying since you are centered in your own body. The aim is to get alongside, aligning yourself through a deeper form of listening that allows common ground and possibilities for shared action to emerge.

Blending is also seen as a somatic skill where the body posture and gestures of themselves produce a feeling of connection where you flow smoothly into mirroring and wanting to find a common concern to connect through.

You experience a sense of flow, being “in-the-moment” engaging in a relaxed physical state without pressure or resistance. It’s as if you are moving in the other person’s shoes, seeing their perspective and sharing their view of the world, feeling their feelings and looking to collaborate.