Research Paper: Active Listening: An Essential Skill for Coaching
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Transcript of Research Paper: Active Listening: An Essential Skill for Coaching
Research Paper Assessment
Name: Claudia Meza BellotaDate: July 20th, 2012Student ID: 265806Email: [email protected]
Complete your 2000 word research paper and insert it in the space below. Then email this document as an attachment to [email protected]
Active Listening:
An essential skill for coaching
International Coach Academy - Research Paper
Student name: Claudia Meza
July 20, 2012
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Synopsis --------------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Background of Listening ---------------------------------------------------------------6
Significance of Active Listening-------------------------------------------------------- 8
Active Listening Techniques -----------------------------------------------------------10
Skills that Active Listeners Posses-----------------------------------------------------11
Why is it so difficult for people to become Active listeners? ------------------14
Listening Barriers--------------------------------------------------------------------------16
Active Listening and Coaching----------------------------------------------------------16
Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------17
References --------------------------------------------------------------------------------18
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Active Listening: An essential skill for coaching
‘If we could all just learn to listen, everything else would fall into place. Listening is the
key to being patient centered’. Ian McWhinney1
Synopsis
The intent of this paper is to discuss the concept of ACTIVE LISTENING and its relevance
not only for achieving effective communication, but also as one of the most important
coaching skills.
In this discussion we will go through the different aspects of listening. We will analyze
the significance of Active Listening, what are the required techniques and skills, and how
to develop them. On the other hand we will also analyze why it is so difficult for people
to really listen, and the barriers that people experience in the process. There will also be
a review of the techniques and skills that active listeners possess. Finally we will review
active listening in relation to the coaching field.
Listening involves hearing the speaker’s words, understanding the message and its
importance to the speaker, and communicating that understanding to the speaker. The
apparent problem is, of all the communication skills, listening is the earliest learned and
the most frequently used, yet it seems to be the least mastered.
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Introduction
Listening is essential for communication. Being a good listener helps you see the world
through the eyes of others, thereby opening your understanding and enhancing your
capacity for empathy which is essential for having a good coaching relationship with our
clients. However as simple as listening to and acknowledging other people may seem,
doing it well, takes sincere effort and lots of practice.
There are different levels of listening, but the focus of this paper will be Active listening,
which requires that we listen not only for the content of the speakers message, but
more importantly, for the intent and feeling of the message as well.
Listening facilitates the development and maintenance of relationships and in coaching
it is critical in order to build trust and create a safe space for our clients. During
sessions, coaches must spend most of the time listening, so it is a skill that must learned
and mastered. It is such a part of our everyday life, and has such an importance in our
career that we should never take it for granted.
Active listening is a way of showing interest and curiosity, and that fosters cohesive
bonds, commitment, and trust. If coaches listen to their clients, they will learn "what are
their triggers for action." When they know what their triggers for action are, they will be
more effective at motivating them. And encourage them when they need encouraging.
This paper is going to examine not only the how important listening is in our everyday
lives but also how critical it is for us coaches to develop good active listening skills.
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Background of Listening
Most people don't listen as effectively as they think and probably don't know it. While
most people agree that listening is a very important skill, most people don't feel a strong
need to improve their own skill level.
It is said that listening is the earliest communication skill acquired, the most often used,
but the least mastered.
Typically, researchers separate listeners into three or four specific types or levels. All
systems are slightly different in how they separate listeners but all offer a continuum
from non-listeners to very deep listeners.
Newkirk and Linden (1982) present a system that examines three specific listening
types: time wasters, dissonance reducers and active listeners.
Time wasters’ daydream, which is not bad itself, however they can lose control and
tune all speakers out. Dissonance reducers attempt to deal with the internal conflict
they encounter from new information received, that is inconsistent with their existing
attitudes. Active listeners listen with a greater degree of sensitivity. They must not only
understand the content of the message but also the speaker’s feelings.
Another proposal of classification is the one brought by Hunsaker and Alessandra (1986)
they put listeners in one of four general categories, according to the depth of
concentration and sensitivity on the part of the listener. The four types are: the non-
listener, marginal listener, evaluative listener, and the active listener. As we move from
the first, through the forth the potential for understanding, trust and effective
communication increase:© Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.
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Non-listeners are primarily concerned with doing most of the talking; constantly
interrupting the speaker, rarely interested in what the speaker has to say and usually
has the last word.
Marginal listeners are at the second level. At this level listening is superficial as they are
hearing the sounds and words but not really listening. They tend to focus on the bottom
line, the fact, rather than the main ideas. The speaker may believe they are being
listened to and understood when in reality they are not at all.
Evaluative listeners actively try to hear what the speaker is saying, but isn’t making an
effort to understand the intent. They tend to be more logical listeners, more concerned
with content than feelings. The evaluative listeners form opinions about the speakers’
words even before the message is complete and risk not understanding the true
meaning of the message.
Active listeners have reached the highest and most effective level of listening ( Hunsaker
and Alesandra, 1986; Newkirk and Linden, 1982). Active listening requires to listen not
only for the content of the speakers message, but more importantly, for the intent and
feeling of the message as well.
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Significance of Active Listening
“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are
listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to
the whole of it, not part of it” Jiddu Krishnamurti
Active listening is a structured form of listening and responding that focuses the
attention on the speaker. The listener must take care to attend to the speaker fully, and
then repeats, in the listener’s own words, what he or she thinks the speaker has said.
The listener does not have to agree with the speaker--he or she must simply state what
they think the speaker said. This enables the speaker to find out whether the listener
really understood. If the listener did not, the speaker can explain some more.
Active listening has several benefits. First, it forces people to listen attentively to others.
Second, it avoids misunderstandings, as people have to confirm that they do really
understand what another person has said. Third and which is the most important in the
coaching practice, it tends to open people up, to get them to say more.
The ability to listen actively demonstrates sincerity, and that nothing is being assumed
or taken for granted. Active listening is most often used to improve personal
relationships, reduce misunderstanding and conflicts, strengthen cooperation, and
foster understanding. It is proactive, accountable and professional.
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Active listening requires intense concentration and attention to everything the person is
conveying, both verbally and nonverbally. It requires listeners to empty themselves of
personal concerns, distractions and preconceptions.
There are many opinions on what is "active listening." A search of the term reveals
interpretations of the "activity" as including "interpreting body language" or focusing on
something other than words.
With regards to the coaching field, Active listening involves observing both the client
and oneself. Observing the client includes listening to the client’s words, tone, observing
their body language and every aspect of interpersonal communications that will help to
form the full picture of what they are saying, and what they are not saying. The second
part of active listening depends on a self-aware coach who recognizes his or her own
filters, thoughts and reactions, one who does not allow those to influence the overall
understanding of what the client is saying, and what the client may be thinking, feeling
and/or not saying; in this sense, active listening is a way to demonstrate authenticity.
“Coaching is about expanding people’s capacity to create the desired future. It is
NOT TELLING PEOPLE WHAT TO DO, but ASKING THEM to examine the thinking
behind what they’re doing so it is consistent with their goals. Coaching is about
giving people the gift of your presence, asking questions, listening” Robert
Hargrove. Masterful Coaching Field book ©2000 p52
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Active Listening Techniques
There are several active listening techniques which assist people in utilizing their
listening time to its fullest extent. According to Newkirk and Linden (1982) some of
these techniques are: paraphrasing, reflection, neutral technique, clarifying and
summarization.
1) Paraphrasing: when the listener restate in their own words what the speaker
means. This is valuable in testing the understanding of what the speaker means
and lets them know they are being actively listened.
2) Reflection: is slightly different from paraphrasing; here the listener tells the
speaker what they believe their feelings are rather than the content of the
message. This is particularly important when the speaker expresses strong
feelings.
3) Neutral technique: encourages the speaker to continue talking. A simple nod
of head or a “uh-huh” are usually effective signals that the listener is interested
and listening.
4) Clarifying: is the technique used when the listener needs more information of
a specific nature. It usually takes the form of a question.
5) Summarization: Involves combining the speaker’s thoughts into a concise
statement which focuses on the speakers key points. This is particularly valuable
in a group discussion where several statements from different people need to be
combined.
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Skills that Active Listeners Posses
Hunsaker and Alessandra (1986) discuss three additional, very important skills that only
active listeners possess. They are sensing, attending and responding.
Sensing is the ability to recognize and appreciate the silent messages that the speaker is
sending; that is facial expressions, intonation and body language.
Attending refers to the verbal, vocal and visual messages that the active listener sends
back to the speaker acknowledging the speaker and their message. This also establishes
a receptive listening setting, away from distractions, private without invading the
speakers “personal space.”
Responding is when the listener gets feedback on the accuracy of the speaker’s content
and feelings, tries to gather more information, attempts to make the speaker feel
understood and encourages the speaker to understand themselves, their problems and
concerns better.
How to Develop Active Listening Skills
There are some basic points that people can focus to learn in order to stimulate better
understanding and become active listeners:
1) Turning off the internal voice.-
Everyone has an internal voice that chatters away throughout everyday
experiences, listeners must keep those moments of listening to their inner
voice to a time when they are alone or relaxing. When they need to learn to
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develop their active listening skills they will need to concentrate on how they
are listening to the other person.
2) Body Language.-
While active listening, it remains essential that all vocal nuances as well as
changes in the intonation of the speaker's voice are captured. Often as part
of a defense to the revelation of information truth, a speaker will leave clues
that require examination in order to respond accordingly. Similarly body-
language provides a way of uniting the speaker and listener. It is necessary to
learn how to read and respond to it.
It is also important to learn how to avoid bad body language. Listeners
should maintain eye-contact to show they are giving their full undivided
attention. They should always analyze, through self-reflection and self-
awareness, their use of body language as they actively listen. Postural echo
will help speakers feel at ease therefore an increased communication flow
will be promoted.
3) Affirmative Nods.-
Listeners need to confirm that they’re following the flow of conversation by
placing nods of confirmation at the appropriate cues in the conversation.
Developing active listening skills utilizes this body language to great effect
allowing speakers to continue talking without disrupting their
communication flow. This is a key to developing active listening skills.© Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.
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4) Paraphrasing to show understanding.-
Paraphrasing remains an essential part of developing active listening skills.
When paraphrasing listeners are basically summarizing what the other
person has just said. This active feedback loop has the effect of reconfirming
to the listener that the listener has understood everything they’ve said and in
its unique context. Developing active listening skills however should not be
seen as a chance to second-guess speaker’s next words. Everybody would
agree that it’s regarded as downright rude to guess the next words the
speaker will mention. As another negative side to developing listening skills it
also shows that listeners are trying to speed-up the conversation. Listeners
always need to remember to speak as less as possible, putting themselves in
a controlling position. They must ensure that they are giving the speaker the
greatest opportunities to develop their own thoughts as well as ideas.
5) Expressing a natural state of empathy.-
Showing a genuine sense of empathy helps individuals feel not only relaxed
as well as comfortable, but also that listeners really care. Through the
presentation of an active genuine expression of empathy to the speaker the
listener will win their heart and mind. Facial expression as well as gentle
words helps show that they feel concern over their discourse. Developing
active listening skills requires listener to analyze their position within the
conversation. It remains essential that they understand how they “come © Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.
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across” as they listen. At first it may feel stifled but as active listening skills
are developed, they’ll soon find that the marriage between using hearing as
well as body language become almost natural.
It takes a lot of concentration and determination to be an active listener. Old habits are
hard to break, and if listening habits are as bad as many peoples are, then there's a lot
of habit-breaking to do!
Active Listeners must be deliberate and remind themselves frequently that their goal is
to truly hear what the other person is saying. They need to set aside all other thoughts
and behaviors and concentrate on the message
Why is it so difficult for people become Active listeners?
Active listening is not an easy skill to acquire. It may require changes in basic attitudes.
To be effective at all in active listening, people must have a sincere interest in the
speaker. Developing an attitude of sincere interest in the speaker is thus no easy task. It
can be developed only by being willing to risk seeing the world from the speaker’s point
of view.
Active listening carries a strong element of personal risk. If listeners manage to
accomplish what it is being described here: deeply sense the feeling of another person,
understand the meaning his experiences have for him, to see the world as he sees it;
listeners risk being changed themselves. It is threatening for the listener to give up, even
momentarily, what they believe and start thinking in someone else’s terms. It takes a © Copyright 2006 International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.
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great deal of inner security and courage to be able to risk them in understanding
another.
People are so accustomed to viewing themselves in certain ways (seeing and hearing
only what they want to see and hear) that it is extremely difficult to free from the need
to see things in these ways. To do this may sometimes be unpleasant, but it is far more
difficult than unpleasant.
Carl Rogers stated that the natural tendency to evaluate from the listener’s own frame
of reference, and approve or disapprove of what another person is saying, is the major
barrier to successful interpersonal communication. He felt this was particularly the case
when the topic was linked to strong emotions.
One of the reasons people are not good at listening is because they do not listen.
Listening skills start with paying attention.
Coaches must be aware of their own filters, judgments, reactions, and thoughts; and
acknowledge the presence of these potential distracters; then consciously choose to set
them; this allows a focus wholly on the client. Client-centered psychology contends this
is done by listening without judgment or bias, filtering the client’s words with
unconditional positive regard, with belief that the client knows his/herself best, is critical
to establishing trust (Silsbee, 2004; Wilkinsky, 2006).
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Listening Barriers
Listening barriers may be psychological (e.g. emotions) or physical (e.g. noise and visual
distraction). Cultural differences including speakers' accents, vocabulary, and
misunderstandings due to cultural assumptions often obstruct the listening process.
There is also a human natural tendency to evaluate and judge. Sometimes people get
so busy criticizing what the other person is saying that they don’t hear them.
Frequently, the listener's personal interpretations, attitudes, biases, and prejudices
lead to ineffective communication.
Active Listening and Coaching
One of the ICF’s Core Competencies for coaching is Active Listening which in the
coaching environment is defined as: “the ability to focus completely on what the client is
saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the
client's desires, and to support client self-expression”.
But why is Active listening such an important skill that coach should have? Active
listening is an important way to bring about changes in people. Despite the popular
notion that listening is a passive approach, clinical and research evidence clearly shows
that sensitive listening is a most effective agent for individual personality change and
group development.
Coaching is about supporting the client to move from where they are to where they
want to be; and since listening brings about changes in people’s attitudes toward
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themselves and others; it also brings about changes in their basic values and personal
philosophy.
People who have been listened to in this new and special way become more emotionally
mature, more open to their experiences, less defensive, more democratic, and less
authoritarian.
When people are listened to sensitively, they tend to listen to themselves with more
care and to make clear exactly what they are feeling and thinking.
Besides providing more information than any other activity, listening builds deep,
positive relationships and tends to alter constructively the attitudes of the listener.
The proper use of active listening results in getting clients to open up and building trust.
In the coaching context, benefits include increased client confidence which allows them
to be themselves and it improves the outcomes of the coaching relation.
Conclusion
Active listening is a specific communication skill. It shows the other person, both
verbally and nonverbally that the listener is truly interested.
Active listening is more than just paying attention, active listening is a specific
communication skill, based on the work of psychologist Carl Rogers, which involves
giving free and undivided attention to the speaker.
In the coaching field Active listening is a dynamic commitment to understanding how
clients feel and how they see the world. It means putting aside coaches own prejudices
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and beliefs, anxieties and self-interest, so that they can step behind their client’s eyes
and envision their perspective.
ICF-certified coaches must learn and master the practice of Active Listening in order to
gain complete learning and understanding about their client(s). Active listening allows
the client to vent the situation and then move on to the next appropriate steps.
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Newkirk, W., Linden, R., (1982). Improving communication through active
listening. Emergency medical services.
Hunsaker, P., & Allessandra, A., (1986). The art of managing people. New York:
Simon & Schuster Inc.
Robert Hargrove., (2000) Masterful Coaching Field book
Wilkinsky, W. (2006). Lectures: The Art and Science of Organizational Coaching.
Silsbee, D. K. (2004). The Mindful Coach: Seven Roles for Helping People Grow.
Marshall, NC, Ivy River Press.
Institute of Coaching. (2011). Executive coaching handbook. Retrieved from
http://www.instituteofcoaching.org/images/pdfs/ExecutiveCoachingHandbook.pdf
International Coach Federation web site: http://www.coachfederation.org/
James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. Active Listening: Hear what people are really saying
http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm
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Kiel, F., Rimmer, E., Williams, K., & Doyle, M. (1996). Coaching at the top. Consulting
Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 48, 67–77.
Soika, Tina (2004) Better listening: It's an active process, Hearing Journal: September 2004 - Volume 57 - Issue 9 - p 40-41 http://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2004/09000
Rogers & Farson, ACTIVE LISTENING Communicating in Business Today R.G. Newman,
M.A. Danzinger, M. Cohen (eds) D.C. Heath & Company, 1987
Drollinger, T., Comer, L. B., & Warrington, P. T. (2006). Development and validation
of the active empathetic listening scale. Psychology and Marketing, 23, 161-180. Sdf
Mackay H. The good listener. Better relationships through better communication.
(Previously published as Why don’t people listen?) Sydney: Pan Macmillan, 1994.
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