Improving Your Listening Skills How to be an Active Listener

Improving Your Improving Your Listening SkillsListening Skills

How to be an Active ListenerHow to be an Active Listener

Active ListeningActive Listening

►Good listening skills are important in school the workplace day-to-day living

►Yet most of us receive very little training in effective listening.

►Take the Effective Listening Quiz!Take the Effective Listening Quiz!

7 Ways to Improve Your Listening

►Here are 7 strategies and suggestions to help you improve your listening skills.

1.) Increase your listening span: ►Try to resist the temptation to interrupt.

►Make sure the speaker has had a complete chance to make his or her point before you speak.

► If you don't get the whole message, ask the speaker to repeat what they said.

Ways to Improve Your Listening

►2.) Take time to listen: Don't put obvious limitations on your

listening time - the speaker will feel rushed.

►3.) Listen between the lines: Don't just listen to what is being said.

Try to understand the attitudes, needs and motives behind the words.

Ways to Improve Your Listening

►4.) Give your full attention: Nodding or interjecting occasionally to

clarify a point lets the speaker know you are interested.

If the speaker pauses briefly, don't rush to fill the silence.

Use open-ended questions to encourage elaboration.

Ways to Improve Your Listening

►5.) Restate the message: When you are sure that the speaker has

finished, restate the main points.

This is a good organizing strategy for you.

It also gives the speaker assurance that the message has been received.

Ways to Improve Your Listening

►6.) Listen for ideas as well as facts: A good listener makes an effort to understand

what the facts add up to.

►7.) Don't monopolize: Resist the urge to dominate a situation or to feel

that you know everything about a situation.

Be open to new ideas and allow the speaker to have his or her say.