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Active Listening

social · medium · Ongoing practice in every conversation

What is Active Listening?

Fully concentrate on what someone is saying instead of planning your response. Reflect back what you heard ('So what you're saying is...'), ask clarifying questions, and validate their emotions before offering solutions. Most people listen to reply, not to understand. Active listeners build deeper trust and resolve conflicts faster.

Is there evidence for it?

EVIDENCEstrong

How do you do Active Listening?

  1. 1.When someone speaks, give full attention: put down your phone, make eye contact, lean slightly forward
  2. 2.Don't interrupt or plan your response — just listen until they finish
  3. 3.Reflect back: 'What I'm hearing is...' or 'It sounds like you're feeling...' — then pause for confirmation
  4. 4.Ask open-ended questions: 'Can you tell me more about that?' or 'How did that make you feel?'
  5. 5.Resist the urge to immediately fix or advise — sometimes people just need to feel heard

How long does it take?

Ongoing practice in every conversation.

Is it hard to start?

medium.

Source: Carl Rogers & Richard Farson, Active Listening (1957); humanistic psychology
social · communication · relationships · empathy · trust
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This is one entry from the library Shift matches against. It is general information, not advice about you, and nothing on this page came from anyone's conversation.