Understanding Active Listening: Identifying Non-Active Listening Behaviours

Introduction

Let's explore what active listening is not. This exercise will help you understand the impact of not being listened to.

Exercise: Reflecting on Non-Active Listening

Take out a piece of paper and a pen. Reflect on a recent experience where you felt someone did not listen to you.

• Identify the Situation: Who was the person not listening to you?
• Emotional Response: Describe how you felt emotionally during that situation.

Write down your responses to these prompts. This exercise will help illustrate the effects of not being actively listened to.

Common Emotional Responses

Review your list. Typically, emotional responses include feelings of:

• Anger
• Frustration
• Low Confidence
• Confusion
• Deja Vu

These emotions arise when someone fails to listen effectively, leaving you feeling misunderstood or unimportant.

Examples of Emotional Impact

Here are some examples of how others felt when they were not actively listened to:

• "I felt frustrated and upset."
• "I feel that I am just not important enough to be listened to."
• "I felt really hurt and belittled."

Conclusion

Recognizing the effects of not actively listening underscores the importance of developing active listening skills. Throughout this training, we will guide you on how to actively listen and emphasize that it is a skill that requires practice.