Active listening
Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed
with practice. However, active listening can be difficult to master and
will, therefore, take time and patience to develop.
'Active listening' means, as its name suggests, actively
listening.
Active listening involves listening with all senses.
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.
Active listening is also about patience - pauses and short periods of silence
should be accepted.
Active listening not only means focusing fully on
the speaker but also actively showing verbal and non-verbal signs of listening.
Generally speakers want listeners to demonstrate ‘active listening’ by
responding appropriately to what they are saying. Appropriate responses to
listening can be both verbal and non-verbal:
