How to Use Active Listening Skills?

Here are some key points on how to use active listening skills:

Be present

• Put away distractions, maintain eye contact (cultural norms considered), and focus on the speaker.
• Nod, smile, and use open body language to indicate attentiveness.

Listen beyond words

• Pay attention to emotions by recognizing nonverbal cues like tone, facial expressions, and body language.
• Think about the situation and the speaker’s background to gain a deeper understanding of their message.

Encourage and engage

• Ask open-ended questions to elaborate and share more details.
• Reflect on what you heard to ensure understanding and encourage further dialogue.
• Also, avoid interrupting. Give the speaker space to express themselves without being cut off.

Respond thoughtfully

• Acknowledge the speaker’s feelings and show understanding.
• If appropriate, provide help or suggest options based on what you heard.
• Even if you disagree, listen respectfully and present your views without passing any judgments.

Practice makes everything perfect

• Be patient and kind to yourself. Active listening takes time and effort to master.
• Engage in conversations with friends, family, or colleagues to apply these techniques.
• Notice areas for improvement and keep practicing to become a more effective listener.

Active listening is much more than simply hearing someone speak. It’s a conscious effort to understand the complete message, both the verbal and nonverbal cues. Being fully present and engaged in the conversation by putting your entire focus on the speaker and understanding their thoughts and feelings is what defines active listening. But why is it important? How can you improve your active listening skills? If these are the questions that brought you here, you are at the right place.