How can active listening resolve conflicts during oral communication?

2 How to listen actively

Active listening requires more than just hearing the words of the speaker. It also involves using verbal and non-verbal cues to communicate your interest and attention. To listen actively, maintain eye contact and nod occasionally to show that you are following the conversation. Avoid distractions, interruptions, and judgments, and focus on the speaker's message and emotions. Open-ended questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing can help check your understanding, clarify ambiguities, and confirm key points. Additionally, empathic statements such as "I can see how you feel" or "That must have been difficult" can acknowledge and validate the speaker's feelings and experiences. Feedback like "I agree with you on that", "I have a different opinion on that", or "I would like to hear more about that" can express your views and perspectives while inviting further discussion.

3 Common barriers to active listening

Active listening is not always easy, particularly in conflict situations, and there are some common barriers that can prevent you from doing so. Prejudice, emotions, assumptions, and distractions are all potential obstacles, as having preconceived notions or biases about the speaker or the topic can make you closed-minded; feeling angry, frustrated, hurt, or anxious can make you defensive; making assumptions or jumping to conclusions can lead to misunderstanding; and having external or internal distractions can cause you to lose focus. All of these can interfere with your ability to listen objectively and empathically.

4 How to overcome barriers to active listening

To overcome barriers to active listening, it's important to be aware of them and take steps to minimize or eliminate them. An open-minded approach is key, as is managing your emotions and eliminating distractions. Additionally, verifying your understanding by asking questions, paraphrasing, and summarizing what you hear can help ensure that you are correctly comprehending the conversation. Finally, avoid making assumptions without verifying them with the speaker, and seek clarification if you are confused or unsure about something. By following these strategies, you can effectively overcome any barriers to active listening.

5 How to practice active listening

Active listening is a skill that can be improved with practice and feedback. To practice active listening, look for opportunities in meetings, presentations, conversations, or debates. After each experience, reflect on how well you listened actively and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself questions such as if you paid attention and showed interest to the speaker, used verbal and non-verbal cues to communicate your attention and feedback, asked questions, paraphrased, summarized, empathized with the speaker, expressed your views and perspectives respectfully and constructively, and encountered any barriers to active listening. Additionally, seek feedback on your listening from the speaker or a third party. Active listening is a powerful tool that can help resolve conflicts during oral communication and enhance interpersonal communication skills. By engaging in active listening regularly, you can create a positive dialogue, gain insight and understanding, and find creative solutions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?