Active Listening
interviewsteaching and mentoringcustomer conversationssupervisionconflict-sensitive conversations
What Is Active Listening?
Give focused attention to another person's message, check what they mean, and respond to the message rather than to an assumption about it.
Why Does Active Listening Matter?
Active Listening matters because important information is often contained in what a person clarifies, emphasizes, hesitates over, or leaves incomplete.
What Does It Look Like?
Someone applying active listening may:
- •lets the speaker finish a meaningful point before responding
- •paraphrases or asks a precise question when meaning is uncertain
- •remembers the speaker's stated concern when deciding what to say next
- •distinguishes listening for information from listening in order to argue
How to Develop Active Listening
You can develop it by:
- •hold a conversation where your first response must be a summary of what you heard
- •ask one clarification question before giving advice when the request is ambiguous
- •compare your meeting notes with the agreed record and identify what you missed
Where Can Active Listening Be Useful?
Active Listening can be useful in areas such as:
interviewsteaching and mentoringcustomer conversationssupervisionconflict-sensitive conversations
Careers Where This Skill Can Be Useful
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