AY Honors/Conflict Resolution/Answer Key

Active listening is an intent to "listen for meaning".

Purpose

When interacting, people often are not listening attentively to one another. They may be distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next, (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or disagreements).

Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others. It focuses attention on the speaker. Suspending one’s own frame of reference and suspending judgment are important in order to fully attend to the speaker.

Tactics

It is important to observe the other person's behavior and body language. Having heard, the listener may then paraphrase the speaker’s words. It is important to note that the listener is not necessarily agreeing with the speaker—simply stating what was said. In emotionally charged communications, the listener may listen for feelings. Thus, rather than merely repeating what the speaker has said, the active listener might describe the underlying emotion (“you seem to feel angry” or “you seem to feel frustrated, is that because…?”).

Individuals in conflict often contradict one another. This has the effect of denying the validity of the other person’s position. Either party may react defensively, and they may lash out or withdraw. On the other hand, if one finds that the other partly understands, an atmosphere of cooperation can be created. This increases the possibility of collaborating and resolving the conflict.

Use

Active listening is used in a wide variety of situations, including tutoring, medical workers talking to patients, HIV counseling, helping suicidal persons, management, counseling and journalistic settings. In groups it may aid in reaching consensus. It may also be used in casual conversation to build understanding, though this can be interpreted as condescending.

The benefits of active listening include getting people to open up, avoiding misunderstandings, resolving conflict and building trust. In a medical context, benefits may include increased patient satisfaction, improving cross-cultural communication, improved outcomes, or decreased litigation.

Active listening can be measured by the Active Listening Observation Scale.

See also

• Informational listening

External links

• How to Be a Better Listener - An article from PersonaDev.com with the 10 best ways to increase your active listening abilities.
• Active Listening International Online Training Program On Intractable Conflict: Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, USA
• Empathic listening skills How to listen so others will feel heard, or listening first aid (University of California). Download a one hour seminar on empathic listening and attending skills.
• Exercise 4 — Active Listening, Center for Rural Studies, University of Vermont, Montpelier
• What is active listening?
• Active listening: A communication tool
• Homepage of the International Listening Association The professional organization whose members are dedicated to learning more about the impact that listening has on all human activity
• Guidelines for Active Listening and Reflection
• Listening Skills Great information and tips on becoming a better listener
• Workplace Listening & Nonverbal Communication

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