Active Empathic Listening

Active Empathic Listening

Active Empathic Listening

Empathetic listening is a way of responding and listening to another person in a way that improves trust and mutual understanding. It is a questioning and structured listening technique that allows a person to develop and improve the relationship with a stronger understanding of what is being conveyed both emotionally and intellectually. Bevan described empathic active listening as when the listener is fully focused and emotionally involved in a specific interaction. Being empathic means taking the perspective, thoughts, and feelings of another person before responding. I can use empathic active listening skills to help me improve my communication both in the workplace and in personal interaction. It helps to improve my working relationships and the ability to understand the task. This will help me to grow both personally and professionally.

Active listening is a very important skill that helps to improve management, communication, problem solving, and relationship within a workplace. Using nonverbal active listening skills such as smiling and making eye contact can help me to improve my communication skills in the workplace. Maintaining eye contact will avoid distraction and helps me to focus on conversation. A smile will improve interpersonal interactions by encouraging the speaker to effectively communicate the message. Most of the time my focus is on speaking instead of listening. I can change this habit by focusing completely on what the other person is saying. This, I can achieve by simply sitting down with my family members and giving them feedback on what I listen them saying. This will help me to focus on their words rather than responding. When we listen to understand, then we pay attention to the feelings and thoughts of another person. Active empathic listening provides us the tools to see the issue, understand its effect, and find a solution ADDIN EN.CITE <EndNote><Cite><Author>Floyd</Author><Year>2014</Year><RecNum>398</RecNum><DisplayText>(Floyd, 2014)</DisplayText><record><rec-number>398</rec-number><foreign-keys><key app="EN" db-id="2s2s0zrapsf0pbe5efuvv20f9rszvx0sd2fe" timestamp="1580461234">398</key></foreign-keys><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Floyd, Kory</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Empathic listening as an expression of interpersonal affection</title><secondary-title>International Journal of Listening</secondary-title></titles><periodical><full-title>International Journal of Listening</full-title></periodical><pages>1-12</pages><volume>28</volume><number>1</number><dates><year>2014</year></dates><isbn>1090-4018</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote>(Floyd, 2014).

Response 1

Empathic active listening is important in communication. In empathic active listening, listener is fully focused and emotionally involved in a specific interaction. I agree with you that most people like to speak instead of listening. I am also like this and I am trying my best to change this habit by focusing on what other person is saying. No doubt, the speaker feels comfortable when they notice that the listener is engaged actively in the conversation. A few simple nods can be very helpful and show speakers that you are taking interest in talking. Similarly, a small smile can also encourage speakers to feel comfortable and shows that you agree with their message. My score was 52 out of 75. The feedback that is given to me helps me to know about skills that are necessary to become an active listener. This will enhance my active listening skills and working relationships which in turn helps me to grow both personally and professionally.

Response 2

The main role of the active empathic listener is to be kind, caring, and supportive. To build good interpersonal relations, we should listen carefully and without any judgment. Interrupt occasionally to show other person that we have understood what's being said. Active empathic listening allows a person to develop a relationship with a strong understanding of what is being conveyed both emotionally and intellectually. Therefore, we must pay attention to the person's emotional state, body language, and tone of voice. Emotional intelligence is very important in the workplace where business decisions and relationships often rely on teamwork, communication, and interpersonal relationships. Therefore, we must improve our skills of emotional intelligence. I scored less in avoiding interruptions and organizing information, therefore, I need to listen with full concentration and organize the ideas of speakers before expecting them to summarize for me.

References

ADDIN EN.REFLIST Floyd, K. (2014). Empathic listening as an expression of interpersonal affection. International Journal of Listening, 28(1), 1-12.