Here's how you can employ active listening for conflict resolution in community organizing.

Active listening means making eye contact and repeating back to them what they have said to you, proving that you are paying attention. Once they know you are truly paying attention and that you are listening, they can ask questions like, what do you suggest we do to resolve this? Let them work out a possible solution. They might surprise you with a great one, or they might not. Then, you will be able to point out to them the reasons why some or all of their suggestions might not work. Keep doing that for as long as it takes for them to see your side of why something can or cannot be done a certain way. If you have an argumentative person who is just talking to talk, tell them to go and write you a proposal on how to resolve the issue.

One thing I’ve found helpful as a Moderator when community organizing is to paraphrase back what each individual has asked or stated. This is helpful if the room is large, or there may be someone hard of hearing or side-conversations are taking place not allowing everyone to hear what has been said. This allows for nothing to go unheard and to ensure everyone understood what was said. It also allows the original speaker to correct the Moderator instead of directing their corrections to another person, which could cause friction between people or in the room in general.

One thing I find useful is to imagine how the other person feels . Also practice how it feels to walk in their shoes. When you practice active listening please summarise it to the person you talking to. Please practice call to action. There is no point promising to assist after listening. Thank you !

I think it's important to recognize the role of nonverbal communication in active listening. Maintaining eye contact, nodding in agreement, and leaning slightly forward can show the speaker that you are fully engaged. These subtle cues reinforce your interest and encourage the speaker to share more openly. However, I want to acknowledge that some individuals, such as those with autism or ADHD, may find these actions challenging. Active listening can still be effectively practiced through other means, like verbal affirmations, summarizing key points, and asking open-ended questions.