Stages of Active Listening

Active listening happens when you hear, understand, respond and remember what is being said. The five stages of active listening are as follows.

1. Receiving: It involves listening attentively or pay attention to the speaker without distractions.
2. Understanding: It involves trying to grasp what they are saying and ask questions if needed.
3. Remembering: It refers to keep key points from a conversation in your mind so you can use them later.
4. Evaluating: It means thinking carefully about what the speaker is saying before responding. It helps you understand their message fully and avoid misunderstandings.
5. Responding: Provide a feedback (verbal or non-verbal) to show that you understand and are actively engaged in the conversation.

How to ensure active listening

To ensure an active listening, the term “RESPECT” can be used as :-

• R - Remove distractions that may hamper listening. For example, reducing the volume of television, radio or mobilephone while talking to a person.
• E - Eye contact refers to looking at the speaker while listening.
• S - Show that you are listening attentively to the speaker through gestures.
• P - Pay attention while listening what the speaker is saying.
• E - Empathise(सहानुभूति) means to feel the emotions of the speaker. Empathy means putting yourself in the speaker’s shoes and truly understanding their feelings and perspective. It helps build trust and deeper connections.
• C - Clarify the doubts. Ask questions to clear your doubts, if any.
• T - Tune yourself to the timing of the speaker, i.e., wait for the speaker to finish, and then, respond.