Being an active and open listener is really essential in order to have an intimidating and useful conversation. Being active while listening to someone will make them know that you are actually willing to hear what they have to say and are keen to knowing everything.
This makes the person feel appreciated and interested in you. This is really important in terms of having a very important conversation because at times, the other person wants you to know what they are talking about so that they could finally ask you something related to it. Or maybe if you are in a business meeting and the other person is making a conversation with you, they would want you to listen to them very attentively and understand whatever they are saying.
Being an active listener is not that difficult and can be mastered with just a little bit of practice. You just have to make sure to follow the following few steps, and you will definitely be a very good open and active listener:
Make sure you make eye contact
Making eye contact with the person you are having a conversation with will enable the other person to be intrigued and give them more confidence in talking to you. This will also make the other person feel comfortable around you and this way, they will be able to make their point to you more clearly.
Repeat what they just said
Repeating what the other person said to you or basically paraphrasing their words will make them know that you were attentively listening to them. Plus, if there is something that you failed to understand, by paraphrasing, they will elaborate and explain themselves to you again.
Make sure you do not interrupt them
Interrupting anyone is deemed to be a rude behavior and is frowned upon by everyone. Nobody likes to be cut off when they are talking about something. When the other person is talking about something, listen to them carefully, wait for them to finish and explain them and then say what you want to say.
Watch their actions
Listening to someone may make you seem like an active listener, but understanding them more efficiently is important as well. One way to understand the other person or how they are feeling at the moment is by noticing their change of tone, their emotions and their facial expressions.
Ask questions
The more you ask the person questions, the better they will be able to make you understand what the want to say and the better will it be for you to understand what the other person wants you to understand.
Listening and speaking go hand in hand. If you are able to finally be a great active and open listener, you will automatically be able to be a good conversationist as well. But, remember, if you have symptoms of anxiety or if you panic when you start to talk, those can not be fixed through this technique. You will have to try therapy for that.
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