It’s more difficult than ever in today’s technology-driven world to hear what’s being said. Active listening improves communication, helps resolve issues, increases comprehension, reduces conflict, and boosts accuracy.
Active listening at work results in less mistakes and wasted time. It helps to develop resourceful and independent children that can deal with their own problems at home. Listening skills can help you build friendships, manage finances, and maintain marriages.
Continue reading to learn how you can improve your active listening skills.
Eye Contact Is Essential
You’ll find that active listen skills and eye contact are usually near the top. It’s logical. Eye contact is a part of face-to-face communication. Nevertheless, too much eye-contact can be intimidating. So, consider the environment and the person you are talking to before making excessive eye contact. You don’t want to make someone uncomfortable.
Try breaking eye contact about every five seconds to demonstrate that you’re paying attention. To show that you’re paying attention, alternate between looking into their eyes for 5 seconds each time. It is better to look up or sideways as you turn away, rather than downwards. This could suggest that you want to end the discussion.
Avoid crossing your legs or arms as this could make you look “closed” and defensive. Leaning forward or sideways while seated, tilting your chin slightly or resting it on your palm are all signs of paying attention.
Listen to the music without interrupting
Interrupting someone makes them angry because they feel that you are putting your opinion ahead of theirs, or that you do not have the time to hear what they say. You can force yourself to speak slower if that’s what you do or slow down your thinking if it is something you normally do.
You don’t need to speak if you hear a pause or a short silence. You will be able to better understand what the other person is trying to convey if you let them talk. Even interruptions that are in response to something they have just said, but divert the conversation from what they intended to teach you can be irritating.
Listen to them carefully without forming any opinions or retorts. Refocus if you’re forming your own opinions or responses instead of listening.
Summarize and Paraphrase
reflecting is the practice of repeating what was said in order to show understanding. It may seem strange at first, but this actually shows your attention and allows the speaker to correct you as necessary.
This should be done in a sincere way. If you come across as condescending or challenging, the conversation is likely to end abruptly, with hurt feelings.
Summary
Active listening can be improved by following these three simple steps. Remember to stay present as you develop your listening skills. Stop scrolling through social media and put down the phone. Spend the time necessary with the person who is speaking to you. You will become an active listener in no time.
