
It is important not to interrupt the sender when he or she is talking because this indicates that you are not that interested in what is being communicated. Wish they would shut up so I can get on with other things I want to ask”? Question 2 – How often do you think in your head “Let’s move on, I’ve got more questons to ask. It is very important to be aware of the non-verbal gestures and expressions we use because as they say, actions speak louder than words. Also, when we communicate we do so verbally and non-verbally. It’s not just about listening to WHAT is being said! HOW it is being said is equally and in many cases more important than what is being said. We often think we are listening, when actually, the truth is that we are not, or if we are, we are doing so in a very superficial way. Question 1 – How often do you pay attention to how something is being said and the body language someone is expressing on top of what is being said?Īctive listening involves a few, simple skills that really go a long way to communicate to the sender of the message that we really are listening. Non-verbal skills encouraging the story (nodding head, raising eyebrows etc).Wait-time (letting people speak and being present in that moment).

There are four specific skill areas that can help us to develop our ability to listen attentively: At tentive listening is both active and highly skilled. And you can both teach and learn ANY skill if you practice it again and again. However, if you listen consciously, you will live more fully!īut remember, listening is a skill. Listening is difficult because it involves suppressing your ego long enough to consider what is being said before you respond. This listening is that which will facilitate the patient’s telling of his tale, the telling that can set him free. I do not mean that he can simply hear the other, but that he will listen actively and purposefully, responding with the instrument of his trade that is, with the personal vulnerability of his own trembling self. Kopp writes: The therapist can interpret, advise, provide the emotional acceptance and support that nurtures personal growth, and above all, he can listen.
QUICK ACTIVE LISTENING EXERCISES PROFESSIONAL
As a communication technique, it is used in many professional settings but is also valuable for everyday life.Īs Sheldon B.
QUICK ACTIVE LISTENING EXERCISES HOW TO
Adler writes in How to Speak, How to Listen: We all realize that the ability to read requires training…the same would appear to be true of speaking and listening … training is required … Likewise, skill in listening is either a native gift or it must be acquired by training.Īctive listening is a technique for developing our ability to listen. And yet most of us haven’t thought about how we listen.Īs Mortimer J. Listening is one of the foundations of society – it is what enables us to form meaningful relationships and connections. Among other things, we need to comprehend what’s being said and why, reflect on intentions, and consider non-verbal communication. We assume that, as long as we can hear someone and understand their words that we are listening. There is a difference between hearing and listening. One of the main reasons this breakdown in communication occurs is that listening (like reading, thinking clearly and focusing) is a skill which we rarely consider to be something requiring knowledge and practice. Toddlers scream about it, teenagers move out, couples split up, companies breakdown.

The sense that we are not being listened to is one of the most frustrating feelings imaginable. People want more than physical presence in human communication they want the other person to be present psychologically, socially and emotionally. What people look for in attending and listening is not the other person’s ability to repeat their words. Yet as Egan (1990) says in “The Skilled Helper”: How many times have you heard someone exclaim, “You’re not listening to what I’m saying!” When the person accused of not listening answers, “I am too I can repeat everything you’ve said”, the accuser is not comforted. Listening is often equated with “sitting and doing nothing”, a passive rather than active approach.
