Active Listening Skills

Active Listening Skills

Show that you are listening to the person and are interested in their point of view.

Active listening includes;• Attending• Questioning• Encouraging• Paraphrasing• Reflecting• Summarising

Attending

Non verbal behaviours that show you are listening and interested.

Body language;• Face squarely slightly angled• Open posture• Lean • Eye contact• Relaxed

Be aware of your own emotional state. If you are uncomfortable you may be showing it and effecting the communication.

Questioning is used to help establish rapport, to get information, or to open up possibilities.

Open and closed questionsOpen QuestionsAre questions that seek more than just direct answers. They ask for the person to think and look at what is going on for them.

Examples might be; • What was going on for you when that happened? • How did that make you feel? • What do you think about that?

Closed QuestionsAre used to illicit information or clarify points.Examples might be;• How old where you when that happened?• Do you see them much now?

Avoid leading questions!!

Encouraging

Physical and verbal information that you are listening and that what they are saying is important.• Nodding your head• Aha’s• Maintaining visual contact • Positive expressions

ParaphrasingRestating and feeding back the client’s own words in a shortened form.

So your dealer scammed you?

So you’re late because the bus broke down?

Use some of their own words – be careful not to sound fake.These are questions though, you are checking your understanding whilst echoing what is being said.

Reflecting

Stating the feelings within the clients message. This needs to be read from both words and body language.

This is a question not a fact.It seems like…It sounds as though ….Have you ever thought that ….

Feelings can be threatening to some clients.

Summarising

A summary of what has been said including any new discoveries as a result of reflection and paraphrasing. Key issues not the whole conversation. Involves feedback from the client.

Practicing active listening

Activity

Group discussion

• How did that feel?• Do you think that some of these skills might

be useful?• What where the hardest to implement?

Working with people with sensory loss

Types of sensory loss

Effects on lifestyle and quality of life

Solutions / ways to help client’s manage

Cognitive Impairment

Can be the result of;• Brain injury – ABI• Medications• AOD use• Intellectual disability

Cognitive Impairment

What might this look like?

Ways that this might impact on the person’s life.

What will help you as a worker to work with this client?

Health issues that can appear similar to Intoxication

• Head injuries

• Acquired brain injury (ABI) /Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI)

• Infections

• Diabetes

• Epilepsy

• Intellectual disability

• Mental health issues

• AOD withdrawal

Voices activity