Powerful Listening

Powerful Listening

Attentive listening is as important as clear and intelligible speech.
Said, is not necessarily heard! Heard is not necessarily understood!
The "partial listening" has become a common practice. But the "partial listening" is not listening.

The active listener :
• is with its attention to the conversation and his partner and expressed this by positive posture.
• holds the eye contact with his partner.
• shows his interlocutor that he accepted and appreciated.
•  asks questions to make sure that he understands "what the other meant."
•  gives the other the time that he needs to express themselves.

The four steps of active listening are:

·         perception: we perceive selectively. That makes sense, because the human would not be able to incur all information, stimulation and impressions.

·         understanding: It is understood what is heard and comprehended. Misunderstandings can arise, for example, if the sender and receiver define notions differently.

·         evaluation: we tend to evaluate what we have heard and understood. Feedback can help to avoid misunderstandings.

·         reaction: verbal and nonverbal responses, such as head nods, eye contact, etc. are techniques that relieve active listening. Active listening can be learned. The "mirroring" of statements ("Did I understand correctly, that ....?") helps to show that the statement was recorded. Who sees that what is heard can be summed up, feels understood.