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Exercise Support by Actively Listening Actively listening is one of the best ways to support teachers as they feel what they have to say is heard and valued. While doing some research last year on active listening, the following quote resonated with me; “Listen to understand, not to respond”. I previously had the philosophy that responding quickly often meant you were actively listening, recognizing and respecting what the other person was saying. However, I have come to have a change of mindset regarding active listening, and continue to work hard at my new outlook. I repeat the quote “Listen to understand, not to respond” frequently before engaging in conversations with teachers in order to enhance my listening skills and acquire growth in becoming better at listening. I have learned that keeping a focus on summarizing the main points as the person speaks deters you from interrupting and wanting to respond, and allows for you to truly understand their thoughts and the bigger picture. If you are sitting during your conversation and have a notepad at hand, quickly jotting down supportive ideas as they speak also keeps you from interrupting them. Just make sure that you are not focusing on the notes, but the speaker. At the end of the conversation, use summary or paraphrasing stems that will allow the person to know you were actively listening. Some of these summary stems could be: Let me make sure I understand, Your concern is…What I am hearing is…. What you are saying is…. From what you have said… It sounds like… You brought up many great key points, let me summarize them to make sure... After summarizing using a unique summary stem, ask clarifying questions to ensure that you completely understand the person’s concerns or thoughts. I have also learned that when you exhibit great listening skills and listen to understand instead of respond, your teachers inadvertently adopt active listening styles when you bring ideas to them. |
Cherry-Anne GildharryOn this page, you will find blogs on educational connections and my life's experiences. Ideas, thoughts and views are my own and are not representative of my employers. References/sources used are public articles found on the internet to support my blogs. Archives
April 2024
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