Active Listening Basics
What is Active Listening?
The process to fully concentrating, understanding, and responding to a speaker's message.
What are distractions?
This barrier occurs when external sounds or internal thoughts distract from listening.
What are open-ended questions?
This involves asking questions that encourage a speaker to elaborate on their thoughts.
What is eye contact?
A non-verbal cue that involves maintaining visual connection with the speaker.
What are emotional triggers?
The emotional reaction or bias that can prevent a listener from objectively understanding the speaker.
What is mirroring?
The technique of reflecting the speaker’s emotions or body language subtly to build rapport.
What is paraphrasing?
The active listening technique of restating the speaker's message in your own words to confirm understanding.
What is prejudice or pre-judgment?
This occurs when a listener makes assumptions or judgments about the speaker's message before hearing the entire message.
What is a clarifying question?
A type of question used to clear up confusion or gain more detailed information from the speaker.
What is to avoid breaking their train of thought?
A key reason to avoid interrupting a speaker during active listening.
What is divided attention?
The term for when a listener's focus shifts away from the speaker due to interruptions or multitasking.
What is deferring judgment?
An active listening strategy where the listener waits to respond until the speaker has finished talking.
What is summarizing?
This active listening technique involves briefly recounting the main points of what the speaker has said.
What is bias?
When a listener’s preconceived notions or stereotypes about the speaker distort their understanding.
What is reflective listening?
A way to encourage a speaker by summarizing what they’ve said, but without altering the meaning.