Active Listening

Knowledge Center

• About
• Home
• Dictionary
• Encyclopedia
• Question?
• Views

• Register
• Log in
• Help

• Change & Organization
• Communication & Skills
• Decision-making & Valuation
• Ethics & Responsibility
• Finance & Investing
• HRM
• Knowledge & Intangibles
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Program & Project
• Strategy
• Supply Chain & Quality

Description of Active Listening. Explanation.

Definition Active Listening. Description.

When people talk to each other, they do not necessarily listen. The purpose of active listening is to improve mutual understanding through carefully absorbing what the other has said.

Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing attention on the speaker. Suspending one's own frame of reference, suspending judgment and avoiding other internal mental activities are important to fully attend to the speaker.

Active listening requires 3 things:

• Comprehending (a shared meaning between the parties in the communication)
• Retaining (remembering what was communicated)
• Responding (verbal or nonverbal responses from the listener to show the message is being listened to)

Effective Communication

Besides poor listening, 4 more factors are known to prevent good communication and understanding what the other person means:

1. Subject Complexity

   • Is the subject matter new or does the listener has experience with it?

   • Is the subject matter difficult to understand, or simple?

   • Is the subject matter interesting and important to the listener?

2. The Speaker

   • Is the speaker experienced?

   • What are the non-verbal cues of the speaker?

   • What frame of mind is he or she?

   • How personable, threatening, intelligent, etc.?

3. The Presentation

   • Is the information illustrated with visuals?

   • Is technology used effectively?

   • Is the information introduced logically?

   • Are concepts introduced incrementally, with examples?

4. The Environment

   • Is the environment conducive to listening?

   • Can the listener interact and exchange information with the speaker?

   • Are there distractions that can be avoided?

Active Listening Forum   Tips to Improve Assertiveness Do you recognize the feeling: "When I say NO, I fe...           Is Active Listening the Opposite of Selective Listening? I think we can understand the phrase 'Active Liste...           Dialogue Communication Network There is a communication dilemma that says "I know...           Real Life Example of Active Listening Have you ever reflected on a person who is awai...           What is Active Listening? Active listening is the courage and patience one s...           Beware of the Power of the Influence of Speakers Friends, romans, countrymen, lend me your ears, I ...           Active Listening is 2-way Active listening, as I understanding it, means to ...           Active Listening is a Key International Competence A key tactic to effective active listening is to <...           WHEN To Be a Good Listener? Should one ALWAYS be a good, active listener?           What Politics can Teach us About Listening Politicians are incredible! They say and repeat th...           Can Active Listening Make you Lonely? Listening is of vital importance in every tenet of...           Listening Includes Non-Verbal Communication As Well ! Listening goes beyond words and should be extended...           Tips on the HOW of Active Listening 1. The listener should repeat via rephrasing           Comprehend, Retain and Respond I teach adults and this is so relevant to the clas...           Good Listening is Welcoming the Richness of the Sharing Listening is about being able to put our ego at di...           Demonstrating How Difficult Good Listening Is | Distortion Exercise I have run a development program on communications...           Good Listening Allows for a Good Response Only a good listener can become a good speaker<...           Obstacles to Active Listening The main obstacle to active listening, in my view,...         See 3 more topics Start a new topic

Active Listening Special Interest Group Special Interest Group

Best Practices - Active Listening Premium   Nonviolent Communication           8 Types of Poor Listeners Following are the 8 categories of poor listener...           Listening Brings Success in People Management Managing anything requires effective communication...

Expert Tips - Active Listening Premium   LEADER: Best Practices for Effective Leadership Behavior Following six short behavioral tips can help you t... Usage (application): Leadership Behavior, Leadership Effectiveness, Leadership Style

Resources - Active Listening Premium Hearing versus Listening A comprehensive presentation about listening and h... Usage (application): Communicating Effectively, Active Listening, Coaching, Mentoring   Nonverbal Persuasion and Communication: Effects and Types Presentation that describes the concept of nonverb... Usage (application): Nonverbal Persuasion, Nonverbal Communication, Sales, Selling, PR, Applying for a Job   Communication Essentials: Non-verbal, Verbal and Listening Skills Presentation about communication skills, including... Usage (application): Communication Skills, Personal Skills, Confidence, Power, Influence, Sincerity, Trust   The Role of Supervisor | Skills of Supervisors This presentation elaborates on the skills that su... Usage (application): Skills of a Supervisor, Supervisor Role, Supervisor Behavior   Practical Communication Tips for Managers As manager you need to combine professional expert... Usage (application): Management Skills, Leadership Skills, Management Development, Leadership Development, Situational Leadership   How to Manage Challenging Situations and Challenging People? This presentation is about the management of Confl... Usage (application): People Management, Conflict Management, Persuasion, Challenging Situations   7 Differences between Good and Great Speakers Dianna Booher discusses 7 differences between good... Usage (application): Best Practice for Speakers     News about Active Listening         Videos about Active Listening         Presentations about Active Listening         Books about Active Listening         More about Active Listening

Compare also: Johari Window  |  Hawthorne Effect  |  Action Learning  |  Covert Leadership  |  Abilene Paradox  |  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  |  Storytelling  |  Employee Attitude Survey  |  Coaching  |  Mentoring

Return to Management Hub: Communication & Skills  |  Human Resources

More on Management  |  Return to Management Dictionary  | 

This ends our Active Listening summary and forum.