Operation “Signal Recovery”: The soft skill of Active Listening

Your friend just broke up. She talks to you in detail about the end of her relationship. You are glad that she finally made the decision since you did not like her boyfriend to begin with. No matter what she says, you already know that she has made the right decision. You discreetly look at your phone. Oh, your aunt has just uploaded a cute photo of the puppy she adopted. Your friend keeps talking and talking ????…

Daily, we communicate with many, different people. But how often do we actually listen to our interlocutors? Active listening is one of the most important communicative soft skills and is exactly what it says: the skill of listening actively, that is, with undivided attention and understanding, without criticism or counseling attitude (Rogers & Farson, 1987). Easy, right?

Sorry, I didn’t hear you, the signal got lost????

Let’s go back to our story. Do you think we listened to our friends actively? Probably not… What could go better? Let’s try to rewrite this story, using the characteristics of an active listener. Are you ready?

The signal is restored ????????

Your friend just broke up. She talks to you in detail about the end of her relationship. She expresses her sadness intensively. You understand that she feels bad (empathy) and lean slightly towards her (body language) while watching her carefully (eye contact). You already had doubts about her relationship (memory of past events), but this is not the time to express them. Your phone remains in your purse (absence of distractions). Now, you are truly listening…

Active listening has multiple advantages. By listening carefully to our interlocutors, we can understand their feelings and needs. At the same time, they feel that we are really there for them.

Where can active listening be applied? Let’s think about that… feel free to leave us a comment!