Vol. I May 2014 11
ACTIVELISTENING &
ASSERTIVENESS
What´s Active Listening? What Does Assertiveness Mean?
ACTIVE LISTENING
Active listening means to listen and understand communication from the point of view of the person talking. What is the difference between hearing and listening? Hearing is to simply perceive sound vibrations. To listen is to understand, comprehend or give meaning to what is heard. Active listening refers to the ability to listen to only to what the person is saying directly, but also to the feelings, ideas or thoughts that underlie what is being said.
SKILLS
Show empathy. actively listening to the emotions of others is to try to “put ourselves in their shoes” and understand their reasons. Paraphrase. This concept means to verify or say in your own words what the speaker just said. Give words of support or compliments. Summarize. With this skill we inform the other person our level of comprehension or the need for further clarification. When criticizing the other person, talk about what they do, not abouT what they are. Discuss topics one by one, and not “take advantage” of the discussion.Do not talk about the past. Be specific. Being specific, concrete, precise, is one of the main rules of communication. Avoid generalizations. The terms “always” and “never” are rarely true and tend to form labels. Be brief. Repeating the same thing several times with different words, or to prolongate an idea, is not appealing to whoever is listening. It produces the feeling of being treated like a child. Mind your non verbal communication. Choose the appropriate time and place.
ASSERTIVENESS
The ability to express your thoughts, choose how to react, and speak what you feel is right, when it is appropriate. To raise your self-esteem, help develop self-confidence, disagree when it is important, and ask others to change their offensive behavior.
ABILITIES
To know when to confront a situation.
To know when to say NO
To make requests.
To express opinions.
To start conversations.
To express affection.
To know how to listen.
AN ASSERTIVE PERSON:
Uses language with feeling.
Talks of himself.
Uses a welcoming language.
Is polite.
Uses appropriate facial expressions.
Respectfully disagrees.
Asks for clarification.
Asks why.
Expresses active disagreement.
Speaks up for his rights.
Is persistent.
Accepts other opinions, with justification.