How does active listening help us personally and professionally?

What is Active Listening?

Active listening is when you are fully aware and concentrate on what is being said rather than passively hearing what the speaker is trying to convey.

The goal of active listening is to acquire information, listen to understand people and situations before responding to it. It is the conscious decision to listen carefully and understand what people are trying to convey without being judgmental.

The listening ability can vary from person to person. But the good part is that it is a communication skill and can be acquired with time and patience. It is about focus and understanding and looking at things from different perspectives for the greater good.

Trivia!

Did you know, people spend between 70%-80% of their day engaged in some form of communication, and about 55% of their time is devoted to listening? But the question is, do they actively listen?

‘Active listening’ is the term first coined by psychologists, Carl Rogers and Richard Farson in 1957 in a paper of the same title.

They write;

‘Active listening is an important way to bring about changes in people. They indicate how clinical and research evidence clearly shows it as one of the most effective agents for individual personality change and group development. And also how active listening brings changes in peoples’ attitudes toward themselves and others; shaping their basic values and personal philosophy’.

Active Listening Skills for Successful Communication

By Indeed Editorial Team

December 8, 2021

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This article has been approved by an Indeed Career Coach

Related video: Top Resume Skills

Communication skills are beneficial in and out of the workplace. Having the ability to clearly communicate instructions, ideas and concepts can help you find success in any career. With practice, anyone can develop their communication skills.

One of the most critical skills in effective communication is active listening. Developing this soft skill will help you build and maintain relationships, solve problems, improve processes and retain information such as instructions, procedures and expectations.

To help you understand active listening skills and learn how to improve your own, consider the following background and examples.

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Active Listening in the Workplace

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Active listening is an important skill in our relationships, both personal and professional. In this article, Zoe Spalding shares some useful tips on how to improve our active listening and points out why it is particularly important in the workplace.

What is Active Listening and why is it important in the workplace?

Active listening requires full concentration on what is being spoken about, as opposed to passively “hearing” the conversation. It is a skill that can be developed with practice and requires the listener to actively engage in listening, reflect on and summarise what has been said, ask appropriately timed questions, display verbal and non-verbal messages reflective of being engaged as well as remaining non-judgemental.

Active listening is the foundation of successful communication. It can promote a feeling of being valued or heard or create a feeling of trust, strengthening working relationships and making it a valuable workplace skill. Active listening can also help the listener retain more of the conversation via minimising distractions when listening and by paraphrasing and summarising what has been heard.

Below we have listed some signs of active listening and how to improve this skill.

Signs and features of Active Listening

Those engaging in active listening often display a series of non-verbal cues. These can include smiling or nodding the head at appropriate moments, maintaining eye contact, mirroring the speakers’ facial expressions, minimising distractions, fidgeting or clock watching and displaying an open posture – leaning forward, arms uncrossed, facing towards the speaker. These signs can help the speaker feel engaged with and could help them to continue with their conversation.

Key skills to improve Active Listening

Removing Distractions:

Removing distractions enables listeners to pay more attention to the conversation. This could include holding conversations in quiet rooms or turning off phones, televisions, computers and other possible distractions.

Be Attentive, Non-judgemental, and Patient:

Being attentive to the speaker can create a feeling of being valued and respected, as well as encouraging them to continue. Simple ways to display this can include remembering the speakers name or any points raised in previous conversations, making notes if appropriate, summarising what has been said and asking appropriate questions.

Remaining neutral and non-judgmental is important. Wait until the speaker has finished, or has come to appropriate breaks, before inputting views, challenging the conversation, or offering a different perspective. Abruptly changing the topic or interrupting the speaker with their own views could halt the conversation or make the speaker feel undervalued. Even if the listener disagrees with the speaker, they should try to keep an open mind and look to recognise the speakers’ reasons or point of view.

Summarise & Paraphrase:

It is best to be cautious in using positive verbal reinforcements. Whilst some positive words can be encouraging to the speaker, overuse of these could hinder the conversation or lead to a non-objective slant to the conversation – at times it may be better to explain why you agree or disagree with particular aspects of the conversation.

Paraphrasing involves rephasing the speakers’ words - this could be along the lines of “In other words, what you are saying is…” or “you are frustrated/struggling/happy with XXX because…”, whereas summarising requires the listener to either repeat an overview of the conversation, or to reiterate the main points back to the speaker, allowing them to respond and clarify if required.

Both methods can demonstrate that the listener has been paying attention, and that they have understood what was discussed. They also enable the listener to request clarity where needed and to delve further into the reasons for the conversation.

It is OK to request clarification if elements are unclear or need further explanation. Clarification can be obtained via the use of open-ended, probing, or direct questioning.

Asking Appropriate Questions:

Questions are a good method to reinforce to the speaker that they are being listened to. Open ended questions are a useful way of encouraging the speaker to continue dialogue, however, they should not be leading questions, and ideally should not be closed questions requiring only a “yes, no, maybe” answer.

Direct questioning can also provide insightful responses especially when discussing specific topics and probing questions can help to build or delve further into what has been said.

Non-Verbal Feedback:

Non-verbal feedback can be as important and effective in demonstrating active listening, as verbal responses. This can be displayed via maintaining eye contact, mirroring body language, leaning into the listener, avoiding closed off body language (crossed arms/legs) and nodding.

And there is so much more to non-verbal communication that is helpful in the workplace. Keep an eye out for our next article on Non-Verbal Communication in the Workplace, which will be published on September 28th.

For more information on workplace etiquette, application advice, or general professional tips, please get in touch with Zoe Spalding.

What Is Active Listening? How Can I Do It Better?

What Is Active Listening?

Active listening requires you to listen attentively to a speaker, understand what they’re saying, respond and reflect on what’s being said, and retain the information for later. This keeps both listener and speaker actively engaged in the conversation.

The listener may use active listening techniques like paying close attention to the speaker’s behavior and body language in order to gain a better understanding of their message — and may signal that they’re following along with visual cues such as nodding, eye contact, or avoiding potential interruptions, like fidgeting and pacing.

If you want to try growing your active listening skillset and you’re ready totake the active listening challenge,read on!

Using Active Listening to Coach Others Takes Intentional Effort

While important, active listening and reflecting, responding, and giving feedback aren’t always easy. Daily pressures and demands often overtake our work, leaving limited time and energy to focus on slowing down to really listen to, and coach, direct reports.

Yet while time for formal coaching sessions may be limited, you can fit in coaching moments and coaching conversations. The trick is to be an attentive listener and have your toolkit of active listening techniques at the ready for whenever such moments occur.

Unlike critical listening, an active listener is not trying to evaluate the message and offer their own opinion, but rather, to simply make the speaker feel heard and validated.

At CCL, we help leaders go beyond basic active listening skills so that they’re better equipped to truly listen to understand others — including the facts, feelings, and values that may be hidden behind the words actually being shared. At the organizational level, this is how to build a workplace culture of truth and courage.

The Purpose & Benefits of Active Listening

Before we dive into specific active listening techniques and how to improve your active listening skills, it’s important to take a step back and understand why they matter.

First, when a leader engages in active listening, it helps establish trust between both parties, shows empathy for others, and fosters psychological safety. Being a thoughtful listener, asking questions, seeking clarification, and encouraging others to share their perspective and will reinforce your role as a spouse, friend, colleague, coach, and mentor.

Being a strong, attentive listener who can provide effective feedback will also enable you to coach your people more effectively. Your co-workers and direct reports will respect you more, and you’ll likely see improvements in your relationships with them as a result.

Once you begin to put the active listening skillset into practice, you’ll notice the positive impact it has in a number of areas, including in personal and professional relationships, at work, and in various social situations.