6Applying LORA to Educate
As I discussed in the Introduction, LORA is my acronym for Listen, Observe, Reflect, and Act. I developed this model as a way to apply every concept I explain; what's shown here is for the Educate framework. It's both a summary and an action plan, so take out your journals and make note of all these.
Listen
Remember, as you're listening, be active. Listen to learn, evaluate, and understand. Make sure your instinct isn't to listen to confirm. Ways to listen to yourself are to learn about your biases and values. They define who you are, so constantly listen to them so you can acknowledge blind spots and growth opportunities. When you don't know your core values, you won't have the drive to connect. Being authentic leads to connection! True understanding of yourself sets you free. Remember, the first person you need to connect with in order to connect across cultures is yourself.
Observe
Observe your environments and the complexities of the characters around you. In yourself, observe your behaviors around people you're biased against. Observe your body language during those moments and make note of them. Observe your triggers. What gets them going?
In your current environment, who makes up your current group of friends? What do they believe? Who are the leaders? What are the demographics of your environment?
Reflect
This is very much about meditation and mindfulness. What habits do you need to unlearn and which ones do you need to develop? Some things ...