Active Listening – A Learned Social Skill

Curious to know how to build excellent relationships with others? Active Listening!
Isn’t that frustrating when the other person doesn’t listen properly and acknowledge what you are trying to say?
When we speak we repeat what we know but when we listen we learn something new.
I hear many coaches and consultants finding it difficult to understand the needs of their clients. This is because they are struggling with active listening. Making eye contact, asking right questions, and having the right body language gives the other person confidence that we are actively listening.
Faye Doell, a York University psychologist in his 2003 study found people who “listen to understand” have healthier relationships with others.
An important aspect of using Emotional Intelligence for work and life is Relationship Management. If we are not genuinely listening to the needs of others, then how are they going to work with us?
To conclude, don’t listen to respond but listen to learn.
How do you manage the urge to speak? Would you like to share a story on how active listening helped you in a particular situation?