There are two ways to run Listen Style Auditing – 1. As a number of teams directly under an auditing supervisor and 2. As an individual auditor. Correct training procedure at Level 0 is to have the auditor do co-audit style until confident and then train him to do the same thing individually.

The Co-audit version is merely to get the student to do auditing without having to assume too much responsibility.

In this version it is really the instructor who is doing the auditing. He starts the session and tells the auditor to give the commands and acknowledge the answers. If this relationship is understood it makes the supervision of a Level 0 group of teams much easier.

The procedure for running a Listen Style Co-audit is as follows:

1. Instructor gets the auditors to seat their pcs in their chairs and then sit down.

2. He writes up on a board the exact wording of the process to be used.

3. He asks students if the room is alright for them to be audited in.

4. He tells them what is going to be run in the session (R Factor) and cleans up any questions on the part of pcs (obviously, stress is on getting them able to talk to anyone).

5. He tells auditors and pcs that all the auditor is permitted to do is to give the command and acknowledge the answers. If pc says anything that cannot be handled with an acknowledgement the auditor will put out his hand behind him and wait for an instructor.

6. He tells the auditors to keep their auditor’s reports.

7. Instructor then says “Start of Session”. And tells the auditors to give the command. No goals or rudiments are set or done.

Notes: Students should be taught that before they give an acknowledgement they should understand pc’s answer. They are permitted therefore to ask pc to amplify an answer or to explain a word so that they (the auditors) understand the answer.

If a student puts out his hand the instructor goes to session and without ending it handles what needs handling and then lets session go on. The instructor is careful not to become the pc’s auditor completely as transference will set in and pcs will invent trouble to get more attention. Instructor should have a meter handy so that in the case of an ARC Break he can quickly do an assessment. In doing the ARC Break Assessment he is of course careful not to audit the pc, only to locate and indicate the by-passed charge.

At end of period, Instructor says “Commence ending your sessions.” He waits a bit and then says: “Tell your auditor any gains you’ve made in the session. Auditors write them down.” Waits again and then says “Alright, I’m going to end the session now. End of Session.” Instructor then gives whatever instruction is necessary either to end the period or to get the room ready for the next period or gives a break, etc.

This is done exactly the same as the Co-audit version but in this case of course the auditor handles the session. It goes like this:

1. The auditor seats the pc in his or her chair and then sits down across from the pc, knees a few inches from the pc’s. A table is used, or just two chairs, the auditor’s report being kept on a clip board. There is, of course, no meter.

2. The auditor takes the exact auditing command to be used from his text book, bulletin or notes.

3. He asks the pc if it is all right to audit the pc in the room and if not, makes things right by adjusting the room or location of auditing.

4. He tells the pc the purpose of such sessions (Reality Factor) “I want to get you used to talking to another.” “I want to improve your reach,” etc. It’s the auditor’s goal at this level, not the pc’s. Pcs don’t get a chance to have goals in Listen Style as they would set goals they can’t attain at this level and wouldn’t have enough reality on auditing anyway to be sensible about it. So, only an R Factor is used – no goals. The auditor also tells the pc exactly how long the session will be.

5. The auditor tells the pc that all he is going to do is to listen and try to understand the pc, and that all he wants the pc to do is talk on the selected subject the auditor will give him and that if he veers off, the auditor will call it to his attention.

6. The auditor then quickly starts his auditor’s report.

7. The auditor says “Start of Session”.

8. The auditor gives the command from his text, bulletin or notes. The command must have something to do with telling people things or communicating, and may also specify a subject to talk about.

9. Further commands are given only when the pc loses track of the subject and wants to know what it was (see Routines for Level 0 for exact handling of commands).

10. When the pc says something and obviously expects a response, the auditor signifies he has heard, using any normal means.

11. When the pc says something the auditor doesn’t grasp, the auditor asks the pc to repeat it or amplify it so that the auditor does hear it in the fullest sense of the word. (See “The Prompters” below. Only 4 are allowed.)

12. When the pc stops talking, the auditor must adjudicate whether the pc is simply no longer interested in the subject, or has become unwilling to talk about some bit of it. If the auditor believes the pc has stopped because of embarrassment or some similar reason, the auditor has The Prompters, the only things he is allowed to use.

Prompter (a) “Have you found something you think would make me think less of you?”

Prompter (b) “Is there something you thought of that you think I wouldn’t understand?“

Prompter (c) “Have you said something you felt I didn’t understand. If so, tell me again.”

Prompter (d) “Have you found something you haven’t understood? If so, tell me about it.”

(The student must know these prompters by heart.) He uses as many as needed, in the sequence given, to start the pc talking again.

The auditor must not start a new subject or process just because the pc can’t bring himself to go on talking. The whole essence of Level 0 is to get the pc up to being willing to talk about anything to anyone. Thus any coaxing is also allowed. Threats are forbidden. (a) (b) (c) or (d) usually handle. These are the commonest reasons people cease talking. Mere forgetting is handled just by reminding the pc of the subject.

13. New Processes (or new subjects in a Routine which are in essence new processes) are started only when the pc has brightened up and become quite able by reason of getting comfortable about the last one. Realizing that the whole target of Level 0 is to get people willing to talk about anything to others, a regained ability on a subject governs when to start a new process. If the auditor can answer to himself this question in the affirmative, then he can go to a new process, “Is this pc able to talk freely to or about (subject of last process)?”

If so, it’s all right to select a new question from the same routine or a new Routine (more rarely) and ask it now. But it is never all right to prevent a pc from talking by butting in with a new question. One never asks amplifying questions at Level 0. Commentary type questions are also out. The auditor listens to the question’s answers and only interrupts when he truly hasn’t heard or didn’t grasp some point. No over and over repetitive use of commands is made, of course, as that’s Level One. The Commands are given rarely, same commands, but only to get the pc going again. Staccato repetitive commands and brief pc answers are not for Level 0.

14. Toward the end of the auditing period, the auditor warns, “The session time is about over. We’ll have to be ending shortly.”

15. When the pc has given an extra comment or two, the auditor says, “We’re closing the session now. Time is up. Have you made any gains in this session?”

16. The pc’s answers are quickly noted.

17. The auditor says, “End of Session.”

Note: Pcs of course often keep on talking and make it hard to end a session. End it anyway. If this seems to shock the pc, point out the time the session ended as originally set and say also, “You’ll be getting more auditing and we’ll take that up in the next session.” You’ll always have trouble ending a session if you fail to put in its time in the R Factor (Reality Factor) in 4 above. As the auditor notes the time in his report (see 4 above) he must say, “This session will go until________(hours and minutes) precisely.” Thus he has an out for ending it. An auditor must never run beyond that time set, and must, of course, audit until it is reached. This, by the way, does not just hold good for Level 0. It is very good practice for all levels in regular sessions. The only exception is the assist where one is auditing toward a definite gain. In general auditing one seeks to obtain general gains not sudden momentary spurts.

The auditor, whether in co-audit or individual session at this and the next level, will soon become impressed with this fact: the more he himself says during the session, the less gain the pc gets. Therefore, aside from the above, the auditor does very little in the session and is paid handsomely for it in pc gains.

[This HCO B is corrected by HCO B 26 December 1964, Routine O-A (Expanded).]