I have to admit that listening is not one of my strengths. Well, awareness is a good
start. I would like to share certain characteristics of Active Listening based on the book The Coaching Manual written by Julie Starr which I found useful (p78-79)
1) The listener is using more effort to listen and process information than speaking themselves.
2) The listener has the intention of staying focused on what the other party is saying, in order to understand fully what they are saying.
3) The listener is mentally registering and recording facts so they can potentially use them later.
4) The listener continually confirms that they are still listening, by making appropriate sounds, gestures or expressions.
5) The listener will actively seek to understand what the person is telling them, by using clarifying questions, repeating or summarizing information back to the speaker and offering observations or conclusions.
Tomorrow we will define what DEEP listening is.