In our hyper-connected world, people are drowning in information because everyone speaks, shares, and rants. Listening becomes more and more elusive. This is why active listening is a skill that one must have to survive and thrive. Here are five simple and doable ways to become an active listener:
1. Hearing
Hearing the other person out is the first step to active listening. Hearing means we don’t interrupt. We allow the others to say their piece. We suspend our judgment. We wait patiently for our time to speak up.
2. Observing body language
We can understand other people more if we look into their expressions and gestures as they speak. The body manifests what the words can’t articulate. It can reinforce one’s feelings while also reveal uncertainties.
3. Paraphrasing and summarizing
Once we get the chance to speak up, we can paraphrase what other people said to ensure that we fully understand what they meant. We can also summarize to find if we missed out critical details.
4. Questioning
Of course, we don’t know everything that’s why we should also probe for more. Questioning does not only lead to excavating information, it can also lead to potential solutions to problems that other people are dealing with.
5. Reflecting
The process of reflection is when other people’s views become intertwined with ours. Joint reflection about the topic at hand shows that we take into account what other people said while we also forward what we know and how we see the situation.
Communication is a two-way street--a cyclical and a non-linear process. Active listening is a critical part of the said process. Without active listening, we’ll have problems without solutions and noise without understanding.