Active listening for smoother communication

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Welcome to another edition of English that works: developing communication skills for everyday interactions. Have you tried out the phrases and tips suggested? Don’t forget to add this week’s useful phrases to your journal!

When we’re listening to another person, whether in a professional or personal context, we can show them that we are paying attention and interested in what they are saying through active listening. In these Covid-19 times, with so much spoken communication taking place over the phone or via videoconferencing, often on less-than-perfect connections and with fewer visual cues, there is greater scope for misunderstandings.

So active listening is particularly important to improve communications and making sure we have understood exactly what the other person means.

One type of active listening is backchanneling — saying a few short phrases like yeah, I see, really while another person is talking. Sometimes, we just make sounds, like hmmm, or ohhhh, or use facial expressions.

While these are very small things, they are important elements in communicating smoothly. Without them, the person speaking might think we are not paying attention, and if you are working remotely, they might think that the line has dropped.

Just remember that your tone should match the formality of the situation – backchannelling with words like Cool! Or Wow! would be fine when talking to friends, but in a formal meeting it might be better to say Excellent! or Great news!

Backchannelling can also show empathy – letting the other person feel that we understand his or her emotions. For example, Wonderful!, Great!, Oh dear!

Another type of active listening is paraphrasing. When the other person gives us some complex information or instructions, we can clarify our understanding through summarising the key points - this helps avoid any confusion before they continue.

We may not always understand perfectly, or the other person may not always express their ideas clearly. So, we can politely use phrases and questions such as:

So, you mean to say...?

OK, so let me just go over what you said…

If I’ve correctly understood, this means that…

Does that mean I should...?

Active listening can be a valuable tool in many situations, such as dealing with demanding customers or making sure you do your best in an interview situation. Just remember not to overdo things - it can be annoying if someone responds ‘really’ at the end of every sentence!

Look at the active listening examples in bold. You probably already use similar backchannelling and paraphrasing techniques when you speak other languages. So next time you have a conversation in English, or watch a film with English dialogue, look out for these and other examples of active listening, note them down in your journal, and think about how they benefit smooth communication.

Share your ideas with us at [e-mail].

Rustom Mody