Active listening is a form of complete communication that involves verbal and nonverbal communicative aspects associated with attention and understanding of others. Effective listening can only be developed when you are aware of the size of the hearing and listening.Through Active Listening we can make positive relationships, characterized by a relaxed climate, in which listener can understand the words effectively.
Do you really listen to the others or do you just feel what they say without taking into account the emotional context of their words? Active listening is essential for effective communication .The active listening skills is defined in different ways;
The understanding and attention.
They are the main features of this listening skill.When we listen actively, we devote most of our focus to understand the message the other person wants to send us. In addition, we inform our interlocutor about our understanding of what he wants to say. It Shows A psychologically available there in conversation and alert to the message of those who are talking to us .
The opposite of active listening is distracted listening:
we are physically present, but our mind gives priority to what the interlocutor is communicating to us. This means we do not consider what we are saying. As a result, we are not fully understanding the other person’s message. In this sense, active listening is said to be empathetic and to understand the emotions of others.
Nowadays, the lack of communication is mainly due to the inability to know how to listen. We are more concerned by our interventions than what the other person is saying to us. Here, then, the essence of communication is lost. It is wrong to believe that hearing is an automatic process, but that is not the case. Listening often requires a greater effort than we need to do when we talk .
If We really Want to listen to others, We Must Go Beyond The Words In Active Listening
65-80% of communication with others occurs through nonverbal channels.There is consistency between speech and nonverbal expression. In this sense, there is parallelism in the active listening: it is so important to listen to how much the other person feels to be listened to .
This ability requires listening and understanding communication from the point of view of who is speaking. In other words, it is not just listening to the words directly expressed, but also the feelings, ideas or thoughts they hide.
Nonverbal language is about how we act or react with others or with ourselves. Listening beyond words means understanding and attributing a sense to what we hear or see. Understanding the person in front of us in all its dimensions does not mean to agree with what he says without listening to his words with interest. .
Active listening Is The best Remedy Against Loneliness
Most people like to talk rather than listen . When we talk about ourselves, we activate brain-related areas of pleasure, so at some point it’s normal to prefer to listen to ourselves and not others.
Dale Carnegie has written a book that has been very successful in the United States, How to Treat Others and Make Friends of It. Carneige argued that active listening influences personal relationships.iT creates new ones and reinforces existing ones.
Listening actively to others gives us the opportunity to create a social network where predicament is complicity. Listening to the other, putting aside what we were doing, paying attention to the words of our interlocutor even if they seem irrelevant or wrong is a way to let us express ourselves for what it is really .
When we listen carefully and without interrupting the other. Most often we do not need the opinion of others, but only that they need to sit close to us and listen to us .
We have the power to help people without moving one finger and we are often unaware of it. The gift of knowing how to listen to others allows us to understand them better, to strengthen the bond with them and thus have more chance of establishing a positive relationship. In this sense, what we give will affect us. Even if it is an egoistic interest, it is always worth listening actively.
Learning to listen actively, in fact, makes us able to
Avoid very common mistakes that contribute to forming ” barriers ” in communication leading to the easy misunderstandings each of us has experience;
Become more sensitive and alert to the emotional experience that accompanies every communication and expresses itself through paraverbal and non-verbal language, allowing us to go beyond what is expressed in words ;
Master the technique of empathy reflection that allows us to communicate to the other our presence in the relationship and give it the clear feeling of being heard and understood.
if we are able to apply True Listening to Active, we will also be able to avoid some communicational barriers that constitute waste messages and interfere with communication.
The main barriers are:
- To ridicule the other
- Impose your point of view
- Warning or Warning
- Volition at all costs persuade through logical reasoning
- Make sense of guilt through moral blackmail
- Interpret the behavior of other personal criteria
- Change the subject as the other speaks.
Listening ability is a powerful communication tool that allows us to get in touch with others and to improve our relationships a lot. It allows us to keep our mind open and create empathy. A good listener has more chances of success in life, expresses interest in others and draws more to others.Knowing how to listen to each other allows us to recognize the many faces of reality.
Active listening is a communication technique used in counseling, training, and conflict resolution. It involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding, and then remembering what is being said. Here’s a guide in a tabular format:
| Step | Description | Key Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pay Attention | Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message. | – Nod occasionally.<br>- Make eye contact.<br>- Put aside distracting thoughts. |
| 2. Show That You’re Listening | Use your body language and gestures to convey your attention. | – Smile and nod.<br>- Face the speaker and maintain posture.<br>- Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like “yes” and “uh huh.” |
| 3. Provide Feedback | Reflect on what has been said by paraphrasing. | – Ask questions to clarify certain points.<br>- Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically. |
| 4. Defer Judgment | Allow the speaker to finish each point before asking questions. | – Don’t interrupt with counter-arguments.<br>- Avoid being defensive. |
| 5. Respond Appropriately | Be candid, open, and honest in your response. | – Assert your opinions respectfully.<br>- Treat the other person in a way that you think they would want to be treated. |
Active listening is a skill that requires practice and dedication to develop. It’s not just about hearing what someone is saying, but also about understanding, engaging, and responding thoughtfully.
In conclusion, active listening is not merely a one-way street of receiving information. It is a dynamic process that requires effort and intention. By adopting the techniques outlined in this article, you can unlock the true power of active listening and enhance both personal and professional relationships. So, next time you find yourself engaged in a conversation, remember to pause, focus, and actively listen.
