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Active Listening
Action Team Article
September 2010
The Art Of Listening
L = LISTEN TO LEARN
I = INVOLVE YOURSELF
S = STAY FOCUSED
T = TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING
E = EVALUATE THE MESSAGE
N = NEUTRALIZE YOUR FEELINGS
“We were
given two ears
but only one
mouth, because
listening is
twice as hard as
talking.”
ACTIVE LISTENING
SEPTEMBER 2010
Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and
effectively is only half of the communication process needed for
interpersonal effectiveness.
The other half is listening and
understanding what others communicate to us.
Effective
communication exists between two people when the receiver
interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the
sender intended it.
In
the
early
1980’s,
the
American
communication researchers, Steil, Watson & Barker, developed a
hierarchy of active listening. Based on their observations, they
found that people recall only about 50% of the message
immediately after hearing it and only 25% after two days. Now,
that is scary!
What is Active Listening????
It is considered a “communication technique”! Active listening requires the listener to understand,
interpret, and evaluate what they hear. The ability to listen actively can improve personal
relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation and fostering understanding.
WE COULD DO ALL OF THIS BY JUST SIMPLY L I S T E N I N G! WoW!
HERE IS HOW IT SHOULD HAPPEN……………………………
The listener must take care to attend to the speaker fully, and then repeats, in the listener’s own
words, what he or she thinks the speaker has said. The listener does not have to agree with the
speaker---he or she must simply state what they think the speaker said. This enables the speaker to
find out whether the listener really understood. If the listener did not, the speaker can explain some
more!
Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual
understanding. Many times when people talk to each other, they don’t listen attentively. They
often are distracted, half listening, half thinking about something else. When people are engaged in
a conflict, they are often busy deciding on a response to what is being said. They assume that they
have heard what is being said many times before, so instead of paying attention, they focus on how
they can respond to win the argument. Have you ever been speaking to someone and you know they
are not listening? They are thinking about what they are going to say when you finish speaking. So
how can they listen and comprehend what you are saying. This is why active listening is an
important process to implement.
Active listening forces people to listen attentively to others. It also avoids misunderstandings
because people have to confirm that they do really understand what the other person has said. It
also opens people up and gets them to say more. When someone realizes that the other person is
truly listening, and is attuned to their concerns; they will explain in detail what they feel and why.
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ACTIVE LISTENING
SEPTEMBER 2010
Listening Takes Practice!
It seems like such a simple thing, but in reality it is not. Try to remember some of these tips:
! Concentrate on becoming a good listener
! Be interested in the speaker
! Show compassion and concern
! Pay attention sincerely
! Give the speaker your undivided attention
! Let the other person know you are listening
! Body language is important, i.e. smile, eye contact
! Avoid distractions
! Do not let your mind wander
! Stay focused
! Do not turn away, even though you can still hear
! Do not check your watch for the time
If you do not understand what the speaker said, by all means ask them to repeat. They will know
you are really listening.
Treat the speaker the way you wish to be treated, by being a good listener.
Are You Listening???
Sources:
" “Active
Listening”,
Conflict
Research
Consortium, University of Colorado.
" Larry Alan Nadi, P.D., Clinical Psychologist,
“Tips on Effective Listening”
" SIER Hierarchy of Active Listening, Lyman K.
Steil, Larry L. Barker, Kittie W. Watson
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