PADMASHREE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, BANGALORE

Dr. Rahul ShrivastavaBDS, MIDA, FAGE, MPH

INTRODUCTION• Active Listening is a special way of reflecting back what the

other person has expressed to let him/her know you are listening and to check your understanding of his/her meaning.

• Active Listening is a restatement of the other person's communication, both the words and the accompanying feelings, i.e., nonverbal cues—tone of voice, facial expression, body posture.

• Active Listening requires that you suspend your own judgments, reactions or evaluations so that you can have a clear experience of the other person's thoughts and feelings.

DEFINITION• Active listening is a way of listening and responding to

another person that improves mutual understanding.• Active listening is a structured form of listening and

responding that focuses the attention on the speaker. The listener must take care to attend to the speaker fully, and then repeats, in the listener’s own words, what he or she thinks the speaker has said.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVE LISTENING

• Emphasizing on listening than talking.• Understanding personal feelings, beliefs, and position rather

than obstruct ideas.• Follow the speaker rather than leading the area.• Clarifying the speaker’s thoughts and feelings.

ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS1. Attending : Ask open-ended questions2. Paraphrase : Repeat what you have heard3. Acknowledgement : Use signals to convey you are listening4. Probing : Ask more questions

NOTE: PAPA should be considered everytime to have an effective listening.

USES• Active listening is used in a wide variety of situations,

including public interest advocacy, community organizing, tutoring, medical workers talking to patients, HIV counseling, helping suicidal persons, management, counseling

and journalistic settings. • The proper use of active listening results in getting people to

open up, avoiding misunderstandings, resolving conflict, and building trust.

• Active listening can be lifted by the active listening observation scale.

BARRIERS

• Understanding of Non-verbal cues

ACTIVE LISTENING MODEL

TIPS TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE LISTENING SKILLS

1. Face the speaker and maintain eye contact.2. Be attentive, but relaxed.3. Keep an open mind.4. Listen to the words and try to picture what the speaker is

saying.5. Don’t interrupt and don’t impose your “solutions.”6. Wait for the speaker to pause to ask clarifying questions.7. Ask questions only to ensure understanding.8. Try to feel what the speaker is feeling.9. Give the speaker regular feedback.

REFERENCES• https://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm• http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/

activel.htm• https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Management-Blog/

2014/07/Listening-Is-a-Leaders-Most-Important-Skill