Active Listening Skills for Communication

COURSE CONCEPT

“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” – The Dalai Lama.

Active listening means giving people our undivided attention to understand them, their situations, and emotional experience. Empathic listening is the highest form of listening. Empathic listening enables us to understand the message, the feelings, and motivations. We respond with compassion through words and, where necessary, silence.

By enhancing these skills, we develop a bond of empathy to deeply understand the other, build rapport and enhance our relationships with colleagues, family, and friends.

AUDIENCE

Individuals seeking to improve their listening and empathy skills to effectively communicate, interact, and work with individuals and groups.

AIMS

Develop active and empathic listening skills to understand the message, feelings, and motivations through the lens of the other.

Respond to the message with compassion through words and silence, and improve your relationships at work and in your personal life.

COURSE CONTENT

The course covers the elements of interpersonal communication that include:

Empathic listening
Active listening – helpful hints
Types of listening
Improving your listening skills – preparation, attending and rapport building
Characteristics of empathic listening
How to be an empathic listener
Example of empathic listening between two colleagues
SOLER technique to improve your listening
Benefits of empathic listening

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of the program, participants will be able to:

Understand the importance and characteristics of empathic listening to understand and build rapport with others
Improve active and empathic listening skills through preparation, body language, asking open-ended questions, attending and rapport building
Identify the types of listening, its technique and purpose
Apply the steps to being an empathic listener
Apply the SOLER technique to improve listening