Practicing Active Listening
Passive listening is hearing,
Active listening is understanding
Active Listeners:

• Listen more than talk
• Don’t answer questions with another question
• Don’t finish the sentences of others
• Are aware of their own biases and control them
• Plan responses after the speaker is finished, NOT while he or she is still speaking
• Pay attention
• Never dominate the conversation
• Provide good feedback
• Interpret by considering all relevant information
• Ask open-ended questions
• Summarize the speaker’s message
• Keep on the topic of the conversation
• Take short notes

And always remember, in the words of Dale Carnegie, “A talk is a voyage with a purpose, and it must be charted. The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.”