Good and Active listening Skills. Definition and Techniques.
Active listening skills are a combination of skills and abilities that allow you to fully concentrate on what your partner says. Your full attention and all senses are involved in the conversation. Active listening skills are the basics of good listening skills.
They involve much more than just listening with your ears. They involve care and understanding.
Active listening is an ability that can be achieved with practice and patience. At work and business, good listening skills and techniques can make you more efficient and productive.
They can lead to significant improvements and benefits that have a great impact on your business planning, time management, and leadership qualities.
In your personal life, active listening will be appreciated by your lover, friends, and family. Our lives are based on everyday communications with so many different people. So you can see how much important is to be a good listener.
Listening allows you to learn, to have relationships, to plan, to develop, to be a part of something, to create, to think…. and much more. Good listening skills are the basis of effective communication in all life areas.
Active Listening Skills and Techniques:
- Eye Contact
Eye contact is one basic element of business etiquette and the main active listening technique. Eye contact during the conversation shows the speaker that you give him your attention and that you really care about what he says.
- Avoid Distractions
The ability to avoid distractions is among the good and active listening skills too. There are so many examples of distractions such as our thoughts, mobile phones, gadgets, music, side activities, other people, and more. Learn to avoid these distractions otherwise, they can destroy your conversation.
- Body Gestures
Body gestures and language are a whole science. You need to be very familiar with effective Body gestures because they are among the key active listening techniques. Your body gestures tell the speaker whether you listen carefully or not.
- Give Feedback
This is one of the most important active listening skills examples and techniques. Ask questions to clarify certain points, tell your opinions, summarize the speaker’s comments. These are really good techniques for an active listener.
- Show That You’re Listening
Useful techniques and examples here are: use facial expressions such as smile, note your posture, encourage the speaker to share, and continue.
Learning and using these good and active listening skills are the basis of effective business communications.
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