What makes music music? Some would argue that it’s the notes written on the page, the time signature that creates the rhythm, or even the heartbeat of the musician playing the piece, but Christophe Ginguene argues that it’s the spaces in between the notes — the rests — that make a piece of music into something that we can fall in love with. His “authentic being” approach to coaching had us wondering what we could discover if we really listened, and luckily for the IPBN,  his workshop on July 9 at 11h will take a look at the power of transformative listening techniques and how they can help you find the music within yourself. And you don’t even have to play an instrument. 

French by birth, Christophe, or Chris, recently moved to Portugal last November after having spent almost 10 years in Hong Kong working as a corporate quality manager while building up his coaching skills and clientele on the side for just over half of his time there. He will be the first to tell you that his approach to coaching is far from traditional, which he noted “attempts to fix you by pushing your thinking.” Instead, Christophe maintains that you are perfect as you are. He added, “We create our own expectations for how we are supposed to experience life and we find that we create either possibility or problems around us. Once you target the problem areas, the next step is creating a calmer, slower, better space for yourself and your loved ones.” The best way to define your life approach is to truly listen, and that’s what Christophe is aiming to teach you.

“Active listening is something people are conditioned to do — they want to agree with what the speaker is saying. It could be because of a need to please, or general discomfort. There are also times when people listen to do the opposite — to disagree. They are simply waiting for a good moment to interrupt. Both stem from insecurity and a need to fill in the blanks.” Transformative listening is Christophe’s method meant to overcome the obstacles presented by these two types of listening, and the technique therein is the focus of the upcoming workshop.

In general, Christophe says, “We should be more comfortable with silence. Music is the space between the notes and a cup is the space between the sides. By nature, we want to fill empty space, but if we take a step back, we can see what is there, what isn’t, and what can be created. That’s what I do. I point people toward this space and help them see that they can do something good with it.”

After the workshop, Christophe intends to invite attendees and all those interested to schedule an hour session with him for free— one in which he will simply listen without judgment. 

Now that's music to our ears.