On the flip side, communication failure, or miscommunications likely due to an absence of active listening skills, can lead to avoidable errors and mistakes with disastrous consequences (Berger, 2015) Active listeners are rated as more emotionally in tune (Bodie, Vickery, Cannava, & Jones, 2015) and highlighted as pivotal in restoring relationship injuries (Min, Jung, & Ryu, 2021).
ACTIVE LISTENING IN COMMUNICATION PROFESSIONAL
Active listening, as a cornerstone of effective communication, benefits our romantic, platonic, and professional relationships. You don't have to take my word for it the data agree with me too. When you look at it this way, active listening is not only important but, dare I say, necessary. In other words, active listening can help us meet our need for connection. On the other hand, when we use active listening skills properly, we give ourselves the chance to understand and be understood by others. When these things happen, instead of our need for connection being met, we may instead feel isolated and alone. Even with the best intentions, you and the person you are speaking to can leave conversations feeling unheard, invalidated, and misunderstood. The problem is, despite how badly we want to be heard and understood, communication often isn't quite so streamlined. Whatever the context, when we speak, we almost always want people to understand our message the way we intended for it to be understood.Īt the core of this desire is our human need for connection. We may be retelling a funny story or teaching a class. We may be giving vital directions or sharing an intimate part of our past with a new partner. It might be blatantly obvious why active listening is important but if you're not so sure why you might want to try active listening skills and techniques, it can be helpful to consider the purpose of communication. In contrast to passively listening, the active listener has a clear goal in mind: to capture and reflect both the emotional experience and the ideological perspective of the speaker (Rogers & Roethlisberger, 1991). Active listening takes effort and requires the purposeful use of an array of techniques and strategies (discussed below) to ensure you really comprehend the speaker's intended message. To do this, it can be helpful for you to respond both verbally and nonverbally, to communicate comprehension (Nemec, Spagnolo, & Soydon, 2017).
On the other hand, active listening is the active process of listening to understand. Across these examples, we aren't explicitly or intentionally doing anything aside from listening. Sometimes, we pay attention to particular sounds and tune out others, like in conversation when we focus on the presenter in a noisy auditorium. We listen to our neighbor's dog bark every time a package is delivered. We listen to people talking at the next table at our favorite restaurant. We listen to cars bustling down a busy street. Soundwaves are picked up by our auditory nerves and through a complex set of steps that I don't even fully understand, our brain registers the stimuli as sound.įor the most part, this process is automatic and doesn't require us to do much of anything. Listening is a passive process of hearing (Nemec, Spagnolo, & Soydon, 2017).
But before we get into all of that, let's talk about what it means to listen. To put it plainly, active listening is listening on purpose.
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