It is the process of listening attentively while someone else speaks, paraphrasing and reflecting back what is said, and withholding judgment and advice. When you practice active listening, you make the other person feel heard and valued. In this way, active listening is the foundation for any successful conversation.
Four Steps to Complete Active Listening
People don’t care what you know until they know that you care. By definition, active listening requires four discrete activities.
CONTACT—connect with the participant who is contributing. You frequently establish contact with eye contact, open posture, and nonverbal responses that signify acceptance (not necessarily agreement).
ABSORB—strive to take in all aspects behind the spoken message, implicit and explicit and nonverbal “intonations”. Do not judge or evaluate, to the positive or the negative.
REFLECT & FEEDBACK—mirror, reflect, or feedback what has been heard and WHY the contributor claims to be pertinent and valid.
CONFIRM—obtain confirmation from the speaker that you represent the participant’s message accurately. If not, have the contributor repeat their message from the beginning by having restating their viewpoint and the evidence to support it (fact, examples, observations, experience, statistics, etc.).
