Definition Active Listening? Meaning.
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:
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Subject Complexity
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Is the subject matter new or does the listener has experience
with it?
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Is the subject matter difficult to understand, or simple?
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Is the subject matter interesting and important to the
listener?
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The Speaker
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Is the speaker experienced?
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What are the non-verbal cues of the speaker?
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What frame of mind is he or she?
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How personable, threatening, intelligent, etc.?
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The Presentation
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Is the information illustrated with visuals?
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Is technology used effectively?
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Is the information introduced logically?
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Are concepts introduced incrementally, with examples?
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The Environment
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Is the environment conducive to listening?
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Can the listener interact and exchange information with
the speaker?
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Are there distractions that can be avoided?
Using Active Listening
According to Zenger and Folkman (2016), "People perceive the best listeners to be those who periodically ask questions that promote discovery and insight".
Active Listening is obviously a particularly important skill for coaches, mentors and leaders and managers. Van Quaquebeke and Felps (2016) draw on Theory of Human Needs (McClelland) and Self-Determination Theory of Human Motivation (Deci and Ryan) and argue that when leaders are asking open questions combined with attentive listening, a practice they call "respectful inquiry", such practice principally satisfies followers' basic psychological needs for competence (feeling challenged and experiencing mastery), relatedness (feeling of belonging), and autonomy (feeling in control and having options)."
Sources:
Carl R. Rogers and Richard Evans Farson, "Active Listening", Chicago 1957
Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman: "What Great Listeners Actually Do", HBR Jul. 2016
Niels Van Quaquebeke and Will Felps, "Respectful Inquiry: A Motivational Account of Leading Through Asking Questions and Listening", Academy of Management Review Vol. 43, no. 1, Jul. 2016, pp. 5-27
Active Listening Special Interest Group.

Special Interest Group (740 members)
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Forum about Active Listening.
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NEW I HEAR You
Both Active Listening and Nonviolent Communication focus on LISTENING to the other person. But actually SPEAKING is also...
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WHEN To Be a Good Listener?
Should one ALWAYS be a good, active listener?
I believe it depends on the quality of the dialogue and the extent of...
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Dialogue Communication Network
There is a communication dilemma that says "I know you think you understood what you thought I said, (or wrote), but I a...
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Active Listening is 2-way
Active listening, as I understanding it, means to give back information what I understood. This is valid for both sides ...
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Best Practices
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The top-rated topics about Active Listening. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions.
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Listening Skills for Managers
Good listening makes for good management. Studies have shown that regarding communication activities, humans use listeni...
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Expert Tips
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Advanced insights about Active Listening. Here you will find professional advices by experts.
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LEADER: Best Practices for Effective Leadership Behavior Leadership Behavior, Leadership Effectiveness, Leadership Style Following six short behavioral tips can help you to enhance your leadership efficiency:
1. L - LISTENING: Actively list...
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Information Sources
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Various sources of information regarding Active Listening. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops.
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Hearing versus Listening Communicating Effectively, Active Listening, Coaching, Mentoring A comprehensive presentation about listening and how to do it well.
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Nonverbal Persuasion and Communication: Effects and Types Nonverbal Persuasion, Nonverbal Communication, Sales, Selling, PR, Applying for a Job Presentation that describes the concept of nonverbal persuasion, including the following sections:
1. Overview of nonve...
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Communication Essentials: Non-verbal, Verbal and Listening Skills Communication Skills, Personal Skills, Confidence, Power, Influence, Sincerity, Trust Presentation about communication skills, including non-verbal and verbal communication and listening skills. The present...
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The Role of Supervisor | Skills of Supervisors Skills of a Supervisor, Supervisor Role, Supervisor Behavior This presentation elaborates on the skills that supervisors need in order to be successful in their business/organizatio...
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Practical Communication Tips for Managers Management Skills, Leadership Skills, Management Development, Leadership Development, Situational Leadership As manager you need to combine professional expertise and experience with specific character traits, interpersonal and c...
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How to Manage Challenging Situations and Challenging People? People Management, Conflict Management, Persuasion, Challenging Situations This presentation is about the management of Conflicts, other challenging situations and about managing challenging peop...
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7 Differences between Good and Great Speakers Best Practice for Speakers Dianna Booher discusses 7 differences between good and great speakers:
All good speakers do good on the 7 items below, ...
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Compare also: Johari Window |
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