Empathic Listening Benefits
all the benefits of empathy
forces people to listen carefully to each other
Helps avoid misunderstandings
Helps create clarity of understanding
People feel more comfortable and safe and will open up more.
create positive feelings between people, warmth, trust, ease
more genuine communication
increases effectiveness
help you understand what the speaker is saying
speaker feels heard
speaker can clarify their feelings and thoughts on a topic or issue and then decide on a direction or action to take.
Can explore their
Speaker following their own inner unfolding says, "I've never felt so creative, "
Good for
communication
problem solving
conflict mediation and resolution
negotiation
easier to problem solve
easier to solve conflict
better understand the situation
Empathy Circle
In mutual empathic listening relationship, each person can express themselves and have the time and space to go deeper into their experience and more fully explore it. It gives space for each person to explore and check out . The reflection supports verifying that there is mutual understanding and therefore avoids misunderstandings.
Active listening has several benefits. (colorado.edu)
"First, it forces people to listen attentively to others.
Second, it avoids misunderstandings, as people have to confirm that they do really understand what another person has said.
Third, it tends to open people up, to get them to say more.
When people are in conflict, they often contradict each other, denying the opponents description of a situation. This tends to make people defensive, and they will either lash out, or withdraw and say nothing more. However, if they feel that their opponent is really attuned to their concerns and wants to listen, they are likely to explain in detail what they feel and why. If both parties to a conflict do this, the chances of being able to develop a solution to their mutual problem becomes much greater."
Reflective Listening, 1994 Neil Katz and Kevin McNulty
check for a list of 11 benefits
"You can use reflective listening to help you understand what the speaker is saying.
It allows the speaker to feel heard.
Reflective listening can help the speaker clarify his or her thoughts on some matter, decide on a course of action, or explore his or here feelings to some new depth.
It is useful for both the speaker and the listener....."
A list of 11 benefits
"1. It let the speaker know she or he had been heard, understood, cared for, and supported.
2. It gives the other feedback on what he or she said and how it came across.
3. It allows you to check your own accuracy in hearing what the other has said.
4. It avoids the illusion of understanding.
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(drawn from Communication in Organizations, by Dalmar Fisher)
"Advantages of Reflective Listening. Used appropriately, reflective listening may provide three very positive results:
The listener gains information. Reflective listening encourages the speaker to talk about more things in greater depth than he or she would be likely to do in simply responding to directive questions or suggestions. Such depth of discussion often exposes underlying problems, including ones the speaker had not recognized previously.
The relationship between the two persons develops. The elements of listening orientation --empathy, acceptance, congruence, and concreteness -- are likely to increase as the reflective listening process continues. These are the ingredients for an open, trusting relationship
The activity arouses and channels motivational energy. Because the listener is an accepting and encouraging partner but leaves the initiative for exploring and diagnosing the problem mainly up to the speaker a normal outcome of the process is that the speaker will recognize new avenues for action and will begin making plans to pursue them."
Reflective Listening Helps Build Rapport
"Clients with co-occurring disorders often complain that treatment professionals don't listen to them. One active-listening technique can remedy this problem"
Building Reflective Listening Skills
"Reflective listening can be essential for effective communication and strong workplace relationships:
- It can help build rapport and respect.
- It can promote understanding between people.
- It can demonstrate recognition and acknowledgment, which may prompt others to keep talking and share their experiences, problems and feelings more openly.
- It can give reassurance that someone is willing to help and to view things from another perspective.
- It can help avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.
- It can help reduce defensiveness, resentments and false assumptions that occur through misunderstanding."
"Reflective listening involves listening intently to a speaker then verbally restating, in your own words, the feelings and information that you heard the speaker say to you."
"Reflective listening has a number of benefits. It:
Ensures the listener is actively engaged in the conversation
Helps the listener and the speaker clarify their understanding of each other
Creates empathy
Builds positive rapport and a deepening relationship
Helps the speaker to clarify their own thoughts and feelings
Can be used in any conversational situation
Is a skill that can be developed"