How to be an active listener
Active listening is not just waiting until the other person’s stopped talking. Good listeners will look interested in the speech given by the other person. They would talk and listen using eye contact. Always turn towards the person you are listening to slightly, even when you are in a group. You should mirror your body posture. Just simply nodding as you listen will make the other feel special, so do this a little faster to show enthusiasm but slower for sympathy. Be careful because nodding too fast means just shut up in body language. Make other visual responses where appropriate; smiling, raising an eyebrow, perhaps the occasional slight tilt of the head. Use emphatic hand gestures as you speak; it makes more of an impact. People will take in at least 15 percent more if a speaker is using his hands.
Posted in: on Monday, March 2, 2009 at at 11:01 AM
