A presentation that I researched, created and delivered for the State of Louisiana Civil Service Employees. March 2013

1. Active Listening

2. Active Listening
Course Overview
• Learn more about the listening
process and the different types of
listening
• Discover your personal listening
style
• Define active listening and better
understand the value of being an
active listener
• Learn how to become an active
listener

3. Active Listening
Takeaways
• Practice being an active
listener
• Knowledge of your
listening style

4. Active Listening
Activity

5. Active Listening
Hearing Listening
Hearing Vs. Listening
• Implies perceiving
sounds
• Understanding information
with involvement from
mind and body
• Is a passive process • Is an active process
• Involves effortless activity • Requires conscious
efforts, concentration and
interest

6. Active Listening
Listening Process
Hear
Attend
UnderstandRespond
Remember

7. Active Listening
Hearing
• Occurs when sound
waves hit the ear
• Involves no
deciphering/interpretation
• Is a prerequisite to
listening
11

8. Active Listening
Attending
• Filters heard
messages, focus on
some
• Can be heard or can
be white noise
• Attend better when
there’s personal gain
22

9. Active Listening
Understand
• Requires meaning to be
assigned to a message
• Impacted by language
interpretation
• Assigns a level of
importance to the
message
33

10. Active Listening
Responding
• Delivers feedback
to the speaker
• Can be:
–Verbal or
nonverbal
–Paraphrasing
–Questions
44

11. Active Listening
Remembering
• Recall information
from memory
• Builds relationships
and trust
55

12. Active Listening
Activity

13. Active Listening
Informational Critical
• Perceives information
• Requires no criticism or judgment
• Focuses on key points
• Requires understanding
• Looks for evidence
• Checks for logical reasoning
Appreciative Empathetic
• Listens for entertainment
• Does not involve analyzing
• Focuses on the speaker’s
emotion
• Allows the listener to see another
point of view
Types of Listening

14. Active Listening
Types of Listeners
Detached Passive
• Avoids making eye contact
• Appears withdrawn
• Lacks enthusiasm
• Seems inattentive, disinterested
or bored
• May or may not make eye contact
• Fakes attention
• Uses little energy or effort
• Appears calm and laid back
Involved Active
• Provides some direct eye contact
• Has an alert posture
• Gives the speaker some attention
• Reflects on the message to a
degree
• Has an alert posture
• Uses direct eye contact
• Gives full attention
• Focuses on what is said
• Participates fully

15. Active Listening
Listening Inventory

16. Active Listening
What is Active Listening?
• Ability of paraphrasing
information
• Not interrupting the
speaker
• Not formulating a stance
until speaker is finished
speaking

17. Active Listening
Why is Active Listening
Important?
• Builds relationships
• Creates new ways to
approach issues
• Diffuses emotional situations
• Avoids costly errors

18. Active Listening
Active listeners will:
• Increase productivity
• Improve persuasive and
negotiation skills
• Improve work relationships
• Reduce conflict and
misunderstandings

19. Active Listening
1 Pay Attention
2 Show you are
listening 4 Provide effective
feedback
3 Provide positive
reinforcement
How to Become an
Active Listener

20. Active Listening
• Look directly at the speaker
• Be open-minded
• Avoid being distracted
• “Listen” to the speaker’s body
language
• Focus on what the speaker is
saying
Pay Attention

21. Active Listening
• Paraphrase the speaker’s
words
Show you are Listening
“What I’m hearing is”
“Sounds like you are saying”
• Ask questions to clarify
certain points
“What do you mean when you say…”
“Is this what you mean?”
Don’t interrupt
Take notes and think about
what is being said
• Express appreciation and
interest in the topic

22. Active Listening
• Use verbal and non-verbal
acknowledgement
• Smile and use other facial
expressions
• Have an open and inviting
posture
• Soften facial expressions
Provide Positive
Reinforcement

23. Active Listening
• Be open and honest in your
response
• Assert your opinions
respectfully
• Treat the other person like you
would want to be treated
• Respond appropriately, be
assertive, but not aggressive
Provide Effective Feedback

24. Active Listening
Activity

25. Active Listening
Summary
• Use different methods of listening to
acquire assorted information
• Improve upon your current listening style
• Take the steps to become an active
listener