Communication Skills: Listening Skills

Course Overview

To analyse and increase understanding of the techniques of effective listening. Discuss the skills of communication and focus on the art of active listening.

Audience

Those whose work depends on effective relationships with others where misunderstandings and poor judgment are to be avoided.

Course Outline

• Self Appraisal: identify a range of verbal and non-verbal factors which affect others
• examine current work relationships and identify problem areas
• explore and satisfy individual needs
• personal barriers.

• Conversation Openers: the first impression
• the importance of the initial stages of conversation
• how a lack of listening at this stage can prove to be damaging.

• Passive Listening: the use of eyes and acknowledgement tools
• learning to be controlled when confronted with a passive listener
• the tendency to over-compensate with un-needed phrases and words
• holding the listeners gaze.

• Acknowledgement Responses: appropriate expressions and kinetics
• paralinguistic
• supportive acknowledgement responses
• keeping the speaker at ease.

• Communication Breakdown: background interference
• how misunderstandings, misconceptions and poor judgment are the probable outcome of interference
• judgmental interference
• critical responses.

• Active Listening: reflective listening rephrasing pertinent points and returning them to the speaker
• using reflective listening in conjunction with passive listening and acknowledgement responses
• the prevention of misunderstanding.

• Listening Skills: the essence of communication in listening
• reading and understanding
• the fundamental advantage of reflective listening.

Practical Application At Work: how to apply a listening style; participants agree upon methods of implementation and discuss their own strengths and weaknesses as listeners.!

Communication Skills: Listening Skills / Listening