Active listening is a skill that takes time and practice to learn. It goes beyond just hearing the words that are being said and includes the complete message that is being communicated through facial expressions, body language, pauses, etc.

According to the Center for Creative Leadership, there are six Key Active Listening Skills:

1. Pay Attention – Be aware of your own body language as well as your frame of mind. Remain focused in the moment, and operate from a place of respect.
2. Withhold Judgment – Keep an open mind. Be open to new ideas, new perspectives, and new possibilities. Refrain from judging, avoid arguing, and keep any criticisms to yourself.
3. Reflect – Do not assume that you understand or that you have heard the speaker. Paraphrase key points that you have heard to show that you have understood what is being said.
4. Clarify – Ask questions about any issue that is unclear. If you are in doubt or confused about something that has been said, ask open-ended, clarifying, and probing questions.
5. Summarize – Briefly summarize what you have heard and ask the other person to do the same. Restating key themes confirms your grasp on the other person’s point of view.
6. Share – Once you have demonstrated that you understand the other person, and they have acknowledged that they have been heard, you can now begin to share an idea and suggestions about a similar experience you had which was triggered by a comment in the conversation

To avoid sending out signals that you aren’t listening, try some of the following helpful hints:

1. Limit distractions – Pay full attention to the other person. Put away your cell phone, avoid looking at your computer.  Take note of the person’s tone of voice and body language.
2. Pay attention to what is being said, not what you want to say – to keep you attention, set a goal of being able to repeat the last sentence the other person says.
3. Be okay with silence – Keep in mind that you don’t always have to reply or comment. A break in the dialogue can give each person a chance to collect their thoughts.
4. Encourage the other person to offer ideas and solutions before you give yours – Since you have two ears and one mouth, aid at doing 80% of the listening and 20% of the talking.
5. Restate the key points you heard and ask whether they are accurate – if you missed the point of what the person was trying to say, apologize for not having heard them correctly and ask them to repeat what they have said so that you can try again.

Practice, practice, practice!  You will be happier when you find that your active listening skills have gotten better and you are more readily able to hear what is being said to you.

Do you have feedback, suggestions, or ideas on how to improve internal or external customer service? Send an e-mail to customerservice@ykhc.org and keep an eye out in the Napartet News for more Customer Service topics and tips