What is active listening?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 4:00 am
Marketing Digital
Active listening is one of the cornerstones of effective communication. Developing active listening skills is especially important if you're looking to move into a leadership role. That's why we wrote these active listening techniques in the workplace : what it is, why you need it, and how to do it effectively.
Active listening is a way of paying attention to a person's verbal communication and nonverbal cues. It involves truly listening to what people have to say and understanding their thoughts and feelings during a conversation.
This description can be confusing: when you listen to what people say, aren't you actually listening to them? After all, listening is already an activity. But here's an example of active listening to show you the difference.
We've all had conversations with someone where they listen and respond to what you say, but they don't seem to be fully engaged. They might be looking at things or people in the room, looking at their phones, or seeming like they're just taking in some of what you're saying. When the conversation ends, you feel like they haven't fully understood your perspective and feelings even though they've responded appropriately.
When you're talking to someone who's engaged in active listening, on the other hand, you have their full attention. Your interlocutor will make a lot of eye contact, avoid interrupting you, and often rephrase what you've said so you know they fully understand you. Active listening doesn't mean agreeing with everything another person is saying, but it does mean taking the time and paying attention to understand another person's perspective and emotions, not just the words they're saying.
Why is active listening important in the workplace?
Active listening is important in all areas of your life, and becoming a skilled active listener will certainly have benefits in your personal and professional life. Everyone benefits from mutual understanding at work. Here are the ways active listening skills can benefit you at any stage of your career.
As an individual contributor
Actively listening to your peers and manager will be of great use in your role as an individual contributor. You'll learn more about what matters to your manager in conversations if you practice active listening. You'll also be able to collaborate effectively with your peers on projects if you're a good listener.
As a manager
Active listening becomes even more important when you take on a role where you manage people effectively. Being a good, engaged manager means knowing what’s going on with your team, where their tasks and projects are, and how they’re handling their workload and stress in their personal lives as well. Active listening can help you develop a deeper understanding of what motivates and engages your team.
As a leader
In leadership, it can be easy to make decisions using only your own experience and knowledge. But you'll be a more successful and empathetic leader if you can get feedback and information from your executive peers, managers, and individual contributors, too. You'll make more informed decisions when you understand what's going on with everyone in your organization and take their perspectives into account on important decisions.
Active listening techniques in the workplace
Active listening is a skill that you can work on every day to become good at. Some people may find it easier to practice active listening than others, but everyone has the ability to practice active listening and get better at it. Here are some techniques to practice that will improve your active listening skills.
Active listening techniques in the workplace
infographic-active-listening-techniques-in-the-workplace
1. Stay present
There are plenty of distractions in meetings and one-on-one conversations these days philippines phone number example – your cell phone rings, an email arrives on your laptop, or you just notice people moving around the office. But staying present and focused on the conversation is a vital part of active listening.
You can't really understand what someone is saying unless you give them your full attention, and you probably don't feel comfortable opening up completely to someone who is only half-way there. Instead, practice focusing intently on the other person's words and body language. Mindfulness practice can also be helpful in training your attention to focus on one thing at a time.
2. No interruptions
It sounds simple, but many people find it difficult to do: good listening means not talking over someone or interrupting them. Giving the other person a chance to fully express their thoughts without jumping in to offer your own is a sign of respect. And it can make your listener feel more comfortable expressing themselves, since they know they have the space to do so.
Interrupting is also a sign that you've been thinking about what you're going to say next rather than just taking in what the other person is saying. That's the opposite of active listening, since you're not giving them your full attention. Of course, you don't need to let someone go on for hours—you can find a natural point to politely jump in or ask a question.
3. Observe the signs
Active listening isn't just about taking in what someone is saying. It's also about noticing what they're not saying — at least not out loud. That means paying attention to your interlocutor's facial expressions and body language.
Paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, such as when someone sets their jaw in anger or physically backs away from a topic, will help you develop a deeper understanding of what they're feeling and anything they want to communicate but aren't sure how to address. This is especially important when subtle cues indicate that their words don't quite match their actions—you can ask some gentle, clarifying questions to get to the bottom of what's going on.
4. Empathize
Active listening doesn't always mean that you have to agree with everything your interlocutor says. That's not realistic. Also, the goal of active listening isn't always to reach agreement on factual statements. It's about understanding the other person's point of view, even if you still disagree in the end.
This is where empathy is absolutely critical. Make an active effort to see things from the other person’s perspective based on what they’re telling you – where is their position coming from? It can also help to be kind to someone who has less experience than you in the topic you’re discussing, and that empathy will make them feel more comfortable being open with you.
5. Clarify any doubts
Active listening is one of the cornerstones of effective communication. Developing active listening skills is especially important if you're looking to move into a leadership role. That's why we wrote these active listening techniques in the workplace : what it is, why you need it, and how to do it effectively.
Active listening is a way of paying attention to a person's verbal communication and nonverbal cues. It involves truly listening to what people have to say and understanding their thoughts and feelings during a conversation.
This description can be confusing: when you listen to what people say, aren't you actually listening to them? After all, listening is already an activity. But here's an example of active listening to show you the difference.
We've all had conversations with someone where they listen and respond to what you say, but they don't seem to be fully engaged. They might be looking at things or people in the room, looking at their phones, or seeming like they're just taking in some of what you're saying. When the conversation ends, you feel like they haven't fully understood your perspective and feelings even though they've responded appropriately.
When you're talking to someone who's engaged in active listening, on the other hand, you have their full attention. Your interlocutor will make a lot of eye contact, avoid interrupting you, and often rephrase what you've said so you know they fully understand you. Active listening doesn't mean agreeing with everything another person is saying, but it does mean taking the time and paying attention to understand another person's perspective and emotions, not just the words they're saying.
Why is active listening important in the workplace?
Active listening is important in all areas of your life, and becoming a skilled active listener will certainly have benefits in your personal and professional life. Everyone benefits from mutual understanding at work. Here are the ways active listening skills can benefit you at any stage of your career.
As an individual contributor
Actively listening to your peers and manager will be of great use in your role as an individual contributor. You'll learn more about what matters to your manager in conversations if you practice active listening. You'll also be able to collaborate effectively with your peers on projects if you're a good listener.
As a manager
Active listening becomes even more important when you take on a role where you manage people effectively. Being a good, engaged manager means knowing what’s going on with your team, where their tasks and projects are, and how they’re handling their workload and stress in their personal lives as well. Active listening can help you develop a deeper understanding of what motivates and engages your team.
As a leader
In leadership, it can be easy to make decisions using only your own experience and knowledge. But you'll be a more successful and empathetic leader if you can get feedback and information from your executive peers, managers, and individual contributors, too. You'll make more informed decisions when you understand what's going on with everyone in your organization and take their perspectives into account on important decisions.
Active listening techniques in the workplace
Active listening is a skill that you can work on every day to become good at. Some people may find it easier to practice active listening than others, but everyone has the ability to practice active listening and get better at it. Here are some techniques to practice that will improve your active listening skills.
Active listening techniques in the workplace
infographic-active-listening-techniques-in-the-workplace
1. Stay present
There are plenty of distractions in meetings and one-on-one conversations these days philippines phone number example – your cell phone rings, an email arrives on your laptop, or you just notice people moving around the office. But staying present and focused on the conversation is a vital part of active listening.
You can't really understand what someone is saying unless you give them your full attention, and you probably don't feel comfortable opening up completely to someone who is only half-way there. Instead, practice focusing intently on the other person's words and body language. Mindfulness practice can also be helpful in training your attention to focus on one thing at a time.
2. No interruptions
It sounds simple, but many people find it difficult to do: good listening means not talking over someone or interrupting them. Giving the other person a chance to fully express their thoughts without jumping in to offer your own is a sign of respect. And it can make your listener feel more comfortable expressing themselves, since they know they have the space to do so.
Interrupting is also a sign that you've been thinking about what you're going to say next rather than just taking in what the other person is saying. That's the opposite of active listening, since you're not giving them your full attention. Of course, you don't need to let someone go on for hours—you can find a natural point to politely jump in or ask a question.
3. Observe the signs
Active listening isn't just about taking in what someone is saying. It's also about noticing what they're not saying — at least not out loud. That means paying attention to your interlocutor's facial expressions and body language.
Paying attention to both verbal and nonverbal cues, such as when someone sets their jaw in anger or physically backs away from a topic, will help you develop a deeper understanding of what they're feeling and anything they want to communicate but aren't sure how to address. This is especially important when subtle cues indicate that their words don't quite match their actions—you can ask some gentle, clarifying questions to get to the bottom of what's going on.
4. Empathize
Active listening doesn't always mean that you have to agree with everything your interlocutor says. That's not realistic. Also, the goal of active listening isn't always to reach agreement on factual statements. It's about understanding the other person's point of view, even if you still disagree in the end.
This is where empathy is absolutely critical. Make an active effort to see things from the other person’s perspective based on what they’re telling you – where is their position coming from? It can also help to be kind to someone who has less experience than you in the topic you’re discussing, and that empathy will make them feel more comfortable being open with you.
5. Clarify any doubts