Examples of good listening

Read on and youll find out:

• What Is Active Listening?
• 7 Tips to Improve Your Active Listening Technique
• Benefits of Active Listening
• Active Listening in Practice - 5 Examples
• 10 Active Listening Skills

What Is Active Listening?

So, what exactly is active listening?

Active listening is the process of listening to the speaker mindfully, providing feedback, observing their body language and other non-verbal cues, and being empathetic towards their emotions to ensure effective communication.

The three As of active listening summarize this concept. They stand for:

• Attitude, which is about how you approach the speaker. To be an active listener, you should keep an open mind and a positive attitude - even if you dont agree with what is being said.
• Attention, which is about focusing on the conversation and ignoring distractions. Removing external triggers (like your phone) is not enough - especially if you have a short attention span or tend to daydream. To pay attention, you have to be physically AND mentally there.
• Adjustment, which is about adapting to the speaker and to where the conversation is going. To do this, you shouldnt assume whats being said or steer the conversation towards a specific topic - instead, you should go with the (speakers) flow.

7 Tips to Improve Your Active Listening Technique

Studies confirm that most people are inefficient listeners, although 45% of the time we spend communicating, we are listening (as opposed to the 30% we spend talking).

However, according to a famous study on listening done by Richard Hunsaker, about 75% of the time we are listening, we are actually distracted, preoccupied, or forgetful.

But there are ways to fix that. Although active listening is a skill that takes time and patience, its upside is that you have tons of chances to practice it in your daily life.

So, try following these tips whenever someone is talking and we guarantee youll be an active listener in no time.

Benefits of Active Listening

It should be clear by now that effective communication cannot take place without active listening.

And since communication is the foundation of human relationships, active listening is a beneficial skill for any situation - be it social, professional, and personal.

• Socially, active listening helps you build genuine connections with people. By respecting the speaker, keeping an open mind, and empathizing, you can gain the trust of those you know and make friends with those you dont.
• Professionally, active listening is a skill that enhances communication in the workplace. It allows you to bond with your team, allowing for better collaboration, which leads to higher productivity. Moreover, active listening means that youll be able to better understand problems that arise in the workplace, allowing you to come up with better solutions.
• Personally, active listening is a tool for self-empowerment. Speaking less and listening more can make you more knowledgeable, tolerant, and patient. Additionally, it improves your empathy and ability to put yourself in other peoples shoes.

Active Listening in Practice - 5 Examples

We know that, sometimes, things are much easier said than done.

So, its totally normal if youre wondering exactly how youre supposed to request clarification, ask probing questions, or summarize the speakers points to be an active listener.

Worry not - weve got your back.

Check out some examples of how active listening works in practice.

10 Soft Skills Associated With Active Listening

Active listening falls under the umbrella of communication skills and interpersonal skills. Thats because they all involve your ability to get along with people, connect with them, and understand where theyre coming from.

Take, for example, open-mindedness. You need an open mind if you are to engage in active listening. Otherwise, your biases and personal judgments may keep you from succeeding at it.

Thats because your mindset and personal beliefs would reject any opinion the speaker might have that opposes yours.

These are some additional soft skills associated with active listening:

• Empathy
• Emotional intelligence
• Positivity
• Openness
• Nonverbal communication
• Tolerance
• Kindness
• Compassion
• Feedback (taking and giving it)
• Encouragement

Key Takeaways

By now, you should have a much clearer understanding of what it takes to be an active listener.

Before you start practicing, lets go over some of the main points we covered:

• Active listening is the process of listening to the speaker mindfully, providing feedback, observing their body language, and being empathetic towards their emotions.
• The three As of active listening are attitude, attention, and adjustment.
• There are things you can do to improve your active listening skills. They include removing distractions, asking open-ended and probing questions, paraphrasing or summarizing, requesting clarifications, and empathizing.
• Active listening belongs to a wider category of communication skills and interpersonal skills. For this reason, it is associated with other soft skills such as empathy, tolerance, open-mindedness, positivity, and more.