Dear Sparky Learners,

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿?

According to American psychiatrist Karl A. Menniger, "Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand." Active Listening is the procedure of paying attention to what your interaction companion is expressing while refraining from giving criticism or suggestion. It retains you involved with your discussion partner in a positive light.

 

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴:

1. Uncritical and impartial

2. Calm and compose

3. Feedback, both verbal and nonverbal such as smiling and eye contact.

4. Posing inquiries

5. Remarking on what has been said

6. Requesting explanation

7. Recapitulate

 

To get a clear picture of "Active Listening," let's explore a notable story.

First-year medical students were taught anatomy for the first time using a natural dead human body. They huddled around the surgical table, draped in a white sheet. The lecturer began class by informing the students, "As a doctor, it is crucial to possess two important attributes. The first is that everything involving the human body should not disgust you."

The Professor pushed aside the sheet, pressed his finger into the corpse's anus, removed it, and shoved it into his mouth. He instructed his students, "Go ahead and do the same thing." The students were initially startled, paused for some minutes, and then took turns inserting a finger in the corpse's anus and sucking on it. When everyone was done, the Professor turned to the class and said, "Observation is the second most important quality. I sucked on my index finger while sticking it in my middle finger. This is the time to remember to actually listen!"

 

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝘀, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿.

 

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄:

1. Not paying attention to the speaker.

2. Being caught up in thoughts

3. Avoiding eye contact.

4. Hearing only the outer edge statement.

5. Disrupting.

6. Getting sidetracked.

7. Speaker is being rushed.

8. Forgetting what was said previously.

9. Inquiring about minor details.

10. Getting caught up in the details and ignoring the big picture.

11. Overlooking.

12. Fantasizing.

 

Active Listening is a unique communicative ability that helps people form solid and stable interactions. According to Betsy Sanders, Former VP and General Manager of Nordstrom, "To learn through Listening, practice it naively and actively. Naively means that you listen openly, ready to learn something, as opposed to listening defensively, ready to rebut. Listening actively means you acknowledge what you heard and act accordingly."

 

𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴:

1. Pay Attention.

2. Make direct eye contact.

3. When the other person is speaking, don't hinder them.

4. Look for underlying significance in nonverbal conduct.

5. Silence your inner monologue while listening.

6. Respond Suitably.

7. Request queries to shed some light.

8. Be compassionate.

9. Stay unbiased and nonjudgmental.

10. Understand from other people's errors.

 

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘀.