Active listening skills

Barriers to active listening:

-Distractions- Physical or emotional - Trigger words - Vocabulary - Limited attention span - Listeners personal interpretations, attitudes, biases - Interrupting - Shifting response - Cultural and personal differences

Paraphrase

-Listen for emotional meaning - Respond with underlaying emotion- "you seem frustrated" - Repeat- Use speakers own words or paraphrase

Responding

Speaker will look for verbal and nonverbal responses to determine if they are being listened to. Use minimal encouragers (yes, uh huh, nod, etc.)

Comprehending

Understanding what the person is saying

Body language

Body posture Gestures Facial expressions Eye movements

Three primary elements that comprise active listening:

Comprehending Retaining Responding

What is active listening?

A communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret, recount and evaluate what they hear. It is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing the attention on the speaker.

Tactics to active listening

Body language Paraphrase the speakers words