Active Listening

Do you remember how your whole body strained to listen to your exam or interview results on a poor phone line? Or your boss telling you about that much deserved increment? Or the last boarding call announcement
for your flight? When we are highly interested in the information, our body and mind adopts an attitude, which is called active listening. This attitude can be learned and consciously applied, whenever you want to convey that you are listening and interested. Since listening is almost 90% of communication, you should be using this approach almost all the time! Here is how you practice it:                                                              1. Face the speaker, maintain eye contact; lean towards him (if appropriate).                                                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Focus on the whole message and its meaning.                                                                                          3. Repeat the words mentally as you hear them (it will help in recalling it later).                                               4. Take your mind OFF every  other distraction (cell-phone, surroundings, what you want to do next etc.)                                                                                                                                                                      5. Do not interrupt or make counter-arguments, even in thoughts. Just listen, as if your life depended on it.                                                                                                                                                                      6. If you think you are getting bored- keep those thoughts under check and consciously GET INTERESTED in what is being said.                                                                                                                                   7. Give a nod, or say, “Yes” “Okay” etc. to let the speaker know that you are listening and understanding.                                                                                                                                                                         8. Use other ways to acknowledge: ask intelligent questions; recap or rephrase or summarize what you just heard at appropriate intervals.                                                                                                                      9. Seek clarifications if needed. Active listening requires a deep level of awareness, ability to pick up one soft word against a noisy background. Also the ability to switch yourself into active listening mode at will. This comes with constant practice and observation. Recall the last time when you were trying to make sense to a
bored clerk or an indifferent colleague. They can teach you all the things, which YOU should NOT be
doing. Here is an interactive exercise for a group: Divide in pairs and let everyone tell each other certain basic facts about themselves: name, occupation, zodiac sign, one hobby, education etc. After ten minutes,
in a plenary session, let everyone introduce their partners one by one. Let the partner correct wherever needed and keep a simple score for comparison. In the next round, they can share more complex details like birth place, graduation subjects and marks and work experience. Recalling these details later, will require active listening skills.                                                                                                                                Written By Sachin Srivastava