Effective Communication Listening Skills

Listening demonstrates presence and interest in the patient, it involves active attention to what is being said verses just receiving sensory input. 

It enables the ability to:

Learn - acquire knowledge of others and make reasonable decisions

Influence - change attitudes and behaviours

Enjoy - and share pleasurable thoughts and feelings with others

Help - assist others.

Is a communication skill that requires concentration, attention and a minimal verbal response to help the speaker articulate his or her thoughts.

Attending Skills- non distracting environment, facial expression/eye contact, posture of involvement.

Following Skills- use of door openers, minimal encourages, infrequent considered questions, attentive silences.

Reflecting Skills - Paraphrasing (check understanding), reflect back feeling and content, summarise the major issues, clarification.

Sit - sit to facilitate ease of sight and interaction between yourself and the other person.

Open Posture - assume a posture and facial expression the communicate interest.

Lean towards the other - lean slightly forward when listening

Eye contact - use eye contact to indicate interest.

Relax - relax in order to assist development of trust and to encourage the other to relax.

Always:

• Prepare yourself to listen
• Adjust to all contexts and needs
• Tune in visibly to the other
• Listen with your whole self
• Focus attention fully on the other
• Carefully observe all the non-verbal messages of the other
• Search for the meanings of all verbal and non-verbal messages
• Clarify the meaning
• Consider cultural variations in listening

Avoid:

• Stereotyping
• Judging-this imposed personal belief onto others
• Advising
• Taking extensive notes when listening
• Losing concentration
• Interruptions with thoughts and ideas instead of allowing the other person to finish
• Double guessing the meaning by making assumptions
• Changing the foucus to yourself
• Negative and non-supportive non-verbal behaviours
• Passive disengagements