Improve Your Communication Skills with Active Listening

• Increased emotional intelligence
• Effective listening skills
• Become better at reading facial expressions
• Understand others’ points of view better
• Strengthening relationships with co-workers and friends

When Can Active Listening Be Useful in Work?

When you use active listening skills well, you will be able to assess your own biases and become a better listener over time. This is useful in all walks of life, of course, but particularly so in the workplace. Effective communication and listening skills are most useful in:

• Team working events
• Supervisory roles
• Taking constructive criticism
• Dealing with conflict or customer complaints
• Managing complex projects
• When negotiating salary

If you have ever talked with someone you thought was a good listener, then there is a high chance that they were using active listening skills. This is one of the most versatile skills of all. You can use it in any situation where communication is required.

How To Use Active Listening Skills

There is a big difference between knowing when to use active listening skills and knowing how to use them. The main features of active listening are paying attention to what a conversation partner is saying, considering their point of view in a non-judgmental way, and showing them that you are doing so. The idea is to make the speaker feel heard and understood. If you want to ensure they feel this way, you should do the following:

• Maintain eye contact with the person who is speaking.
• Give non-verbal cues, like nods, in response to major points of the conversation to affirm that you are listening.
• Make a point of paraphrasing key points of the conversation that you wish to clarify or return to.
• Summarize important parts of the conversation in your own words when expanding on a point.
• Ask open-ended questions about points that interest you or require more context.
• Use body language and nonverbal communication to show you are focused on the speaker. Keep your arms uncrossed, turn your body towards them, and refrain from fidgeting.
• Relate similar experiences that you have had to show that you are an attentive listener.
• Present your views once you have fully digested the speaker’s words.

If you use these tips, you will make the person feel like you are invested in their words; this is an important part of good communication. Put these skills to good use in a job interview, along with these additional hints and tips from ResumeNerd.