Listening is the secret to discover great stories. Listening with the intent to understand and empathize can lead to a great bond with the speaker. Listening is a form of respect and trust one extends to the other person.
What is active listening?
Listening is a skill that greatly impacts your life, growth, and relationships. Active listening is that specific type of listening which keeps you involved and engaged with the person with whom you are conversing.
During active listening, you are listening with full attention, reflecting and thinking about what is being said to formulate your opinion. In this process, you value the communicator’s message and hear it with commitment. This strengthens your relationship. So active listening is the foundation of meaningful communication.
Unique features of active listeningÂ
- Active listening is neutral and also non-judgemental
- It succeeds in earning the trust of other people and empathize with their situation
- It is of substantial help in problem-solving
- It allows three-sixty degree perspective of any situation to understand the viewpoint of other people
- Active listening facilitates strong relationships in organizational environment and workplaces
Genuine listening skill is a gift that benefits in many situations in life and career. It helps strengthen relationships, resolve arguments, and eliminates conflicts. Developing and practicing active listening is a process, and you can achieve it with certain skills and techniques that are easy to master.
1.Pay proper attention
To understand the message fully, it is essential to pay proper and undivided attention to the speaker. Put all the distractions aside and focus your attention on the speaker.
2.Maintain eye contact
Eye contact is a basic factor for effective communication. Ensure to face the speaker and look into their eyes. It signifies that you are interested and you care. Eye contact helps you build a connection with the speaker, helping them trust you and open up to you.
3.Do not interrupt
When you interrupt the thought process of the speaker, you may dilute the message or leave it incomplete. So do not say anything or put forth your opinions while the other person is communicating.
4.Keep an open mind
Do not start mentally judging or criticizing the person while they are telling their side of the story to you. Feel the emotion but keep it to yourself for the time being. As an effective listener, keep your mind open, unbiased, and supportive.
5.Observe non-verbal behavior
Understand the meaning of observation and observe the non-verbal behavior of the speaker. The facial expressions, gestures, body movements, tonality of the voice, pauses tell you a lot about the intensity and truth of the communication.
6.Give appropriate responses
Active listening gives the listener a certain perspective. So as an active listener, give an appropriate response. Be honest and open-minded. Ask relevant questions which show that you are interested and genuine. State your point of view clearly and respectfully.
7.Empathize with the speaker
The person who is talking to you may be sad, happy, scared, confused, or angry. Take into consideration his mood while you are listening. Empathy is a value that is at the core of good listening. Imagine that you are in the position of the speaker and try feeling his state of mind. It helps in building a bond immensely.
Active listening is a technique that can be developed and perfected with practice. Practice the activity of listening at home with your family members, friends, or relatives. Listen to podcasts or watch informative videos on listening skills. Seek mentorship. Do good online courses from reputed trainers and be a master of listening. You will definitely benefit from it and grow in your life and career.