WHAT IS ACTIVE LISTENING?
PRESENTED BY THE ELMHURST COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER
Listening and hearing are not the same. Hearing is the first stage of listening. Hearing occurs when your ears pick up sound waves which are then transported to your brain. This stage is your sense of hearing.
Listening is a communication process and, to be successful, is an active process. In other words, you must be an active participant in this communication process. In active listening, meaning and evaluation of a message must take place before a listener can respond to a speaker. Therefore, the listener is actively working while the speaker is talking.
How can this happen? It is simple. Our thought speed is much faster than our speech speed. But be careful! Don't allow the thought speed to race into daydreaming. This habit will defeat your attempt to become an active listener.