Active listening involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full attention to the speaker, it is important that the ‘active listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be listening - otherwise the speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is uninteresting to the listener.
What's active listening, and why is it important for your career? Active listening is the process by which an individual secures information from another individual or group. The “active” element involves taking steps to draw out details that might not otherwise be shared. Active listeners avoid interrupting at all costs, summarize and repeat back what they have heard, and observe body language to give them an extra level of understanding.
Active listening is a helpful skill for any worker to develop. It
helps you truly understand what people are saying in conversations and
meetings (and not just what you want to hear, or think you hear). During interviews, it can help you build rapport with your interviewer.
What Is Active Listening?
Like critical thinking and problem-solving, active listening is a soft skill that’s
held in high regard by employers. When interviewing for jobs, using
active listening techniques can help show the interviewer how your
interpersonal skills can draw people out.
Active listening redirects your focus from what is going on inside of
your head to the needs of your prospective employer or interviewer.
This technique can help reduce your nervousness during an interview.
By placing your focus, through active listening, squarely upon the interviewer, you prove that you:
- Are interested in the organization’s challenges and successes
- Are ready to help them problem-solve work issues
- Are a team player as opposed to being nothing more than a self-absorbed job candidate
It’s important to not interrupt, or worse, try to answer the question before you know what the interviewer is asking.
Listen carefully to the interviewer’s questions, ask for
clarification if necessary, and wait until the interviewer has finished
talking to respond.
Listening is the most fundamental component of interpersonal communication skills.
Listening is not something that just happens (that is hearing), listening is an active process in which a conscious decision is made to listen to and understand the messages of the speaker.
Listeners should remain neutral and non-judgmental, this means trying not to take sides or form opinions, especially early in the conversation. Active listening is also about patience - pauses and short periods of silence should be accepted.
Listeners should not be tempted to jump in with questions or comments every time there are a few seconds of silence. Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they should, therefore, be given adequate time for that.
Listening is the most fundamental component of interpersonal communication skills.
Listening is not something that just happens (that is hearing), listening is an active process in which a conscious decision is made to listen to and understand the messages of the speaker.
Listeners should remain neutral and non-judgmental, this means trying not to take sides or form opinions, especially early in the conversation. Active listening is also about patience - pauses and short periods of silence should be accepted.
Listeners should not be tempted to jump in with questions or comments every time there are a few seconds of silence. Active listening involves giving the other person time to explore their thoughts and feelings, they should, therefore, be given adequate time for that.
Examples of Active Listening Techniques
There are plenty of active listening techniques that will improve the impression you can make at a job interview.
Active listening techniques include:
- Building trust and establishing rapport
- Demonstrating concern
- Paraphrasing to show understanding
- Nonverbal cues which show understanding such as nodding, eye contact, and leaning forward
- Brief verbal affirmations like “I see,” “I know,” “Sure,” “Thank you,” or “I understand”
- Asking open-ended questions
- Asking specific questions to seek clarification
- Waiting to disclose your opinion
- Disclosing similar experiences to show understanding
Examples of Active Listening Responses
It’s often easier to learn by reading examples. Here are some
examples of statements and questions employed with active listening:
- Building trust and establishing rapport: “Tell me what I can do to help.” “I was really impressed to read on your website how you donate 5% of each sale to charity.”
- Demonstrating concern: “I'm eager to help; I know you're going through some tough challenges.” “I know how hard a corporate restructuring can be, how is staff morale at this point?”
- Paraphrasing: “So, you're saying that the uncertainty about who will be your new supervisor is creating stress for you.” “So, you think that we need to build up our social media marketing efforts.”
- Brief verbal affirmation: “I understand that you'd like more frequent feedback about your performance.” “Thank you. I appreciate your time in speaking to me.”
- Asking open-ended questions: “I can see that John's criticism was very upsetting to you. Which aspect of his critique was most disturbing?” “It’s clear that the current situation is intolerable for you. What changes would you like to see?”
- Asking specific questions: “How long do you expect your hiring process to last?” “What is your average rate of staff turnover?”
- Waiting to disclose your opinion: “Tell me more about your proposal to reorganize the department.” “Can you please provide some history for me regarding your relationship with your former business partner?”
- Disclosing similar situations: “I was also conflicted about returning to work after the birth of my son.” “I had the responsibility of terminating some of my personnel, due to downsizing, over the last two years. Even if it’s necessary, it never gets easier.”
More Active Listening Skills
- Validation
- Emotional Intelligence
- Problem Sensitivity
- Courtesy
- Professionalism
- Nonverbal Communication
- Transparency
- Integrity
- Humility
- Proactivity
- Accepting Constructive Criticism
- Creating and Managing Expectations
- Confidence
- Empathy
- Compassion
- Understanding
- Observation
- Attention to Detail
- Vocal Tone
- Sensitivity to Religious and Ethnic Diversity
- Self-Awareness
- Situational Awareness
- Interpretation
- Identify and Manage Emotions
- Understanding Hidden Needs of Others
- Body Language
- Facilitating Group Discussion
- Reaching Consensus
- Collaboration
Benefits of Active Listening
Relationships
Active listening has many benefits. It allows you to understand the point of view of another person and respond with empathy. It also allows you to ask questions to make sure you understand what is being said. Finally, it validates the speaker and makes them want to speak longer. It's not hard to see how this type of listening would benefit relationships.
Being an active listener in a relationship means that you recognize that the conversation is more about your partner than about you. This is especially important when a relationship partner is distressed.
Your ability to listen actively to a partner going through a difficult time is a valuable skill. In addition, active listening helps relationships in that you will be less likely to jump in with a "quick fix" when the other person really just wants to be heard.
Work
Active listening at work is particularly important if you are in a supervisory position or must deal with colleagues. Active listening allows you to understand problems and collaborate to develop solutions. It also reflects your patience, a valuable skill in any workplace.
Social Situations
In social situations, active listening will benefit you as you meet new people. Asking questions, seeking clarification, and watching body language are all ways to learn more about the people whom you meet. When you listen actively, the other person is also likely to speak to you for a longer time. This makes active listening one of the best ways to turn acquaintances into friends.
Tips for Practicing Active Listening
The following tips will help you to become a better active listener:
Make eye contact while the other person speaks. In general, you should aim for eye contact about 60-70% of the time while you are listening. Lean toward the other person, and nod your head occasionally. Avoid folding your arms as this signals that you are not listening.
Instead of offering unsolicited advice or opinions, simply paraphrase what has been said. You might start this off by saying "In other words, what you are saying is...".
Do not interrupt while the other person is speaking. Do not prepare your reply while the other person speaks; the last thing that he or she says may change the meaning of what has already been said.
In addition to listening to what is said, watch nonverbal behavior to pick up on hidden meaning. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and other behaviors can sometimes tell you more than words alone.
While listening, shut down your internal dialogue. Avoid daydreaming. It is impossible to attentively listen to someone else and your own internal voice at the same time.
Avoid abruptly changing the subject; it will appear that you were not listening to the other person.
As you listen, be open, neutral, and withhold judgment and stereotypes.
Be patient while you listen. We are capable of listening much faster than others can speak.
Learn to recognize active listening. Watch television interviews and observe whether the interviewer is practicing active listening. Learn from the mistakes of others.
Instead of offering unsolicited advice or opinions, simply paraphrase what has been said. You might start this off by saying "In other words, what you are saying is...".
Do not interrupt while the other person is speaking. Do not prepare your reply while the other person speaks; the last thing that he or she says may change the meaning of what has already been said.
In addition to listening to what is said, watch nonverbal behavior to pick up on hidden meaning. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and other behaviors can sometimes tell you more than words alone.
While listening, shut down your internal dialogue. Avoid daydreaming. It is impossible to attentively listen to someone else and your own internal voice at the same time.
Avoid abruptly changing the subject; it will appear that you were not listening to the other person.
As you listen, be open, neutral, and withhold judgment and stereotypes.
Be patient while you listen. We are capable of listening much faster than others can speak.
Learn to recognize active listening. Watch television interviews and observe whether the interviewer is practicing active listening. Learn from the mistakes of others.
By employing these active listening techniques, you will impress your
interviewer as a thoughtful, analytical, highly desirable candidate for
the position. Think about possible situations that may occur during an
interview and come up with strategies to allow you to listen actively.
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skills