ACTIVE LISTENING: AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ACTIVE LISTENING?

Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented. Listening actively is an important aspect of effective communication.

According to Mind tools, listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness and on the quality of your relationships with others.

However, the techniques to becoming an active listener includes: pay attention, show that you are listening, defer judgment, respond appropriately and lastly provide feedback. All these points will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.

TECHNIQUES TO BECOMING AN ACTIVE LISTENER

1. Pay Attention

Give the speaker your undivided attention, and acknowledge the message. Recognize that non-verbal communication also “speaks” loudly.

• Look at the speaker directly.
• Put aside distracting thoughts.
• Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
• Avoid being distracted by environmental factors. For example, side conversations.
• “Listen” to the speaker’s body language.

2. Show That You’re Listening

Use your own body language and gestures to show that you are engaged.

• Nod occasionally.
• Smile and use other facial expressions.
• Make sure that your posture is open and interested.
• Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and “uh huh.”

3. Provide Feedback

Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect on what is being said and to ask questions.

• Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is… ,” and “Sounds like you are saying… ,” are great ways to reflect back.
• Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say… .” “Is this what you mean?”
• Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.

4. Defer Judgement

Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message.

• Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions.
• Don’t interrupt with counterarguments.

5. Respond Appropriately

Active listening is designed to encourage respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting her down.

• Be candid, open, and honest in your response.
• Assert your opinions respectfully.
• Treat the other person in a way that you think they would want to be treated.

CONCLUSION

It takes a lot of concentration and determination to be an active listener. Old habits are hard to break, and if your listening skills are as bad as many people are, then you’ll need to do a lot of work to break these bad habits. The techniques you can use to develop your listening skill however have been discussed in the paragraphs above. Your listening skill is very important because it helps improve your communication skill.