Effective Listening
Expressing our wants, feelings, thoughts and opinions clearly and effectively is only half of the communication process needed for interpersonal effectiveness. The other half is listening and understanding what others communicate to us. Effective communication exists between two people when the receiver interprets and understands the sender’s message in the same way the sender intended it.
- Practice empathic listening with an intent to understand, the appreciative inquiry approach to listening, paraphrasing, perception checking and drawing people out.
- Also address listening barriers like: making hasty judgments, arguing mentally, distractions and failing to connect with the speaker.
