Tracking is all about connecting with the speaker through your aware heart. The idea is to be as invisible as possible, giving the speaker as much space to express themselves as possible. Therefore, the pronoun “I” is never used in tracking – only the pronoun “you.” This means that such active listening boilerplate such as “I hear you say…” is off the table. Tracking boilerplate, if there is such, would be beginning a response with “So you …” or simply “So …”
While the ideal tracking dialogue is free flowing and follows the speaker wherever they may go, it often follows the “Four W’s”:
- What did they say?
- Why did they say it?
- What are they feeling?
- What do they want?
When tracking, generally only go to the fourth ‘W’ after the speaker has shown a “look up” – an indication that they are ready to move to a resolution.