Active listening 101
- Pay Attention
Give the speaker your undivided attention and non-verbal encouragement.
Eye contact
Put aside thoughts (and things — like your phone) that take up your focus
Don’t mentally prepare responses: listen with the goal of understanding, not replying
Avoid being distracted by environmental factors
2. Show You’re Listening
Use your own body language, cues and gestures to show you are engaged.
Nod occasionally
Smile and use other facial expressions
Open and interested posture (no folded arms etc.)
Encourage the speaker to continue with verbal comments/cues like “yes”, and “mhmm”
3. Provide Feedback
This is encouraging, shows you are truly listening & putting aside your own assumptions about situations/feelings.
Reflect by paraphrasing i.e. “sounds like you are saying…”
Ask questions to clarify i.e. “what do you mean when you say…”
Summarise the speaker’s comments periodically
Facilitate reflection and expansion i.e. “and how does that make you feel?” “tell me more about that”
4. Defer Judgment
Be actively mindful that the conversation is not about you.
Don’t interrupt
Silence & patience is golden — you do not have to fill a quiet, reflective pause in conversation
Don’t interrupt with counter-arguments or unsolicited opinions/advice
Share similar situations you’ve experienced but don’t only focus on yourself
For more tips from Time To Change: click here
