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Effective Listening Strategies

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BSHS/385
WEEK THREE
EFFECTIVE LISTENING STRATEGIES

The main objective of listening is to establish empathy between the helper and client by listening to the clients words, sensing their feelings, and interpreting their thoughts. It is very important that clients know and feel that their helper is paying attention and care about the story they are telling. I have reviewed three articles that can really help me in my career when it comes to being an active and effective listener.

Article one: The human side of teaching: Effective Listener. This article is very informative by offering effective listening suggestions. It suggest that professionals listen fully to clients without any interruptions. By waiting for the client to pause on speaking, giving the professional time to empathize before asking questions. This is very important to focus on the client and conversation at hand, so you’re able to give feedback to the client. Also, listen with your eyes, ears, and body. Who knew by sitting a certain way or spot would show your client that you’re giving your undivided attention and allow you to notice those non-verbal gestures or expressions. Taking notes allows you to be more engaged with any speaker and prove that you are listening effectively (Boyd, 2001). I am a strong believer of eye contact when talking with someone.
Article two: The gift of listening: JUST Listening Strategies. This article discuss how listening with sensitivity is a key component when empathizing with a client, and is also helpful to the professional. It also indicates the importance of professionals listening and understanding what’s being shared not just hearing it. If the professional is not listening to the client because their focused or paying attention to something else could potentially cause the client to shut down. Practicing active listening, reflective listening, and empathetic listening is something this article focus a lot on with a program called Just Listening. Professionals are able to practice understanding what are saying and ask questions accordingly, teaching them to understand clients need on a deeper level so they can help them appropriately (Browning, 2010). This article taught me the importance of learning to listen.
Article three: Extensive Listening vs. Listening Strategies: Response to Sigel. This article, Blyth explains how spoken word count can affect people listening ability. Listening is all about obtaining information and understanding. Blyth points out that an average listener is able to understand spoken words up to 250 wpm, so if one were to only hear 127 wpm, they would only capture optimal understanding. Blyth also thinks hearing difficult words, listeners may not understand and after taking a moment to think about the meaning, the listener will miss out on the meaning of what was said altogether. Listening is very important when trying to understand the speakers story and also allows you to gather your own understanding to what’s being said. This article also states that when reading, one would only gain understanding by reading the material consistently. But if one listens, one are able to understand almost instantaneously. I have a difficult time understanding what I have read (Blyth, 2012). This article helped me to understand the difference between extensive listening and listening strategies. There are many strategies to learn that will help you make sure you hear what’s being said in any conversation you’re involved in.

References

Browning, Sharon, Esq; Waite, Roberta, EdD, APRN, CNS-BC. Nursing Forum 45.3 (Jul-Sep 2010): 150-8. The Gift of Listening: JUST Listening Strategies. Retrieved @ http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/746768701?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=458

Blyth, A. (2012, February). Extensive Listening Versus Listening Strategies: Response to Siegal. ELT Journal, 66(2), 236-239. http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/content/66/2/236.full

Boyd, S. B. (2001). The Human side of Teaching: Effective listening. Techniques, 76(7), 60-61. http://search.proquest.com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/216109292?pq-origsite=summon&accountid=458

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