Active listening skills
People tend to think of listening as something passive or they tend to not think about it at all; but listening is
actually a skill – a valuable skill that can be practiced and learned. Listening and paying attention to others shows
that you value what they have to say and the contribution that they make.
Active listening is a vital step in developing effective communication, rapport and supportive relationships. This can
be achieved by being aware of your interactions during conversations and through the use of paraphrasing.
N.B: The following tips are guidelines and should only be used where culturally appropriate.
A good active listener will:
•
establish eye contact
•
lean towards the speaker
•
place 100% of their concentration on the speaker, blocking out all external distractions
•
listen for the main ideas
•
not judge what is being said
•
be aware of their posture (try to sit erect and avoid slouching)
•
encourage the speaker by nodding and smiling when appropriate.
A good active listener will avoid:
•
having preconceived ideas about the speaker and/or topic
•
interrupting or finishing off the speaker’s sentences
•
thinking about unrelated thoughts, possibly triggered by the speaker
•
selective hearing – or only hearing what reinforces their point of view
•
tuning out because they don’t value or respect the speaker
•
jumping in and responding immediately
•
taking offence at something that is said or making negative assumptions about something that is said
•
reacting to a mannerism and/or to the speaker’s appearance.
Active listening involves more than just receiving information. A good active listener responds by reflecting or
paraphrasing what they have heard back to the speaker. Paraphrasing provides an opportunity to firstly show that
you have listened and secondly, to clarify any misunderstandings.
A good active listener will paraphrase to check that they have understood the speaker by:
•
using their own words
•
being concise and including the essential details
•
stating the facts and avoiding including their own interpretations.
Depending on the purpose of the interaction and your understanding of what is relevant, you could reflect back the
other person’s:
 account of the facts: “You stated that you have finished your course and are looking to enrol in another.”
 thoughts and beliefs: “From what I am hearing, it appears that you are apprehensive about the developing
performance process.”
Performance and development resource
1
1 of

feelings and emotions: “From what you have told me, would it be fair to say that you feel frustrated by your
situation?”
Reference: Engraffia, M, Graff, N, Jezuit,, & Schall, L. (1999, April). Improving Listening Skills through the Use of Active Listening Strategies.
ERIC Dissertations/Theses St Xavier University and IRI/Skylight, Retrieved March 29, 2008.