A couple of years back I attended a course arranged by Humanfactors Int. in London called “User-centered analysis and conceptual design”. Besides learning design strategy, user profiles, data gathering and information architecture, a key topic in this course was using active listening to get the right answers.

Our teacher, none other than the infamous John Sorflaten, taught us how actively participating in the listening process ensures that both you and the crowd understands what’s being said. Also, if done right, you can get professional advice for free!

This is what you can achieve from active listening:

• Better communication by ensuring you understand what’s being said
• Building confidence with the person asking and the other listeners by proving you’re making an effort to understand them
• Engaging the audience by giving everyone a chance to share their perspectives
• Getting extra advice for free that you may not would have gotten otherwise

Here’s how it works. Imagine you’re reading a text on a website, where the text is broken down in a bullet point list with the words highlighted. It gets easier to read, you can scan it quickly, and you catch the points faster than having to comprehend a large block of text.

Active listening works pretty similar – when someone’s addressing you with a question – either in a meeting or one on one, look directly at the person speaking and repeat the important keywords out loud as they come. As with all cognitive learning processes, repeating means it gets easier to remember, and not that’s not just for you but for everyone who is listening.

When the person speaking to you is done with his question, rephrase the question the way you understood it, and add “.. was that what you meant?”. Doing this gives the other person a chance to confirm your understanding of the issue, or rephrase his question to get his points across. Repeat this process until the person confirms you got it right.

Once you’ve given an answer, ask the person wether he’s satisficed with your reply or not – “Did that answer your question?”. Now, address the rest of the people in the room – “Do any of you have something to add?”. Engage the other listeners, they may offer perspectives you’re not able to.

Last step is to turn back to the person who asked you the original question – “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”. By giving the person who asked you a question time and space to offer his view on the subject, you’re getting professional advice for no extra effort.

By now you’ve proven that you’re able to understand what’s being said, you’ve engaged the audience, you’ve given everyone a chance to participate and – hopefully – you’ve answered a question.

So – put short – here’s how it works. When someone is asking you a question,

1. Repeat the important keywords out loud during the whole length of the question
2. Rephrase the question and then ask the person if that’s what he meanth – “.. was that what you meant?”
3. Repeat until you get it right. If you get it right on the first try you’re doing great, if not then keep on repeating until you’ve rephrased the question correctly
4. Answer the question, and involve the audience to let other peoples perspectives come through
5. Ask the person who asked you – “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”

If it seems awkward, just keep on pushing. Keep practicing, and never let a chance to apply the active listening technique slip away from you. As with everything else, excersice is the only way to perfection. With time you can start refining your skills, giving you more out of a conversation.

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