

When I hold her gaze and respond to what she is saying with, “I know how hard it can be on family members of people with addictions. I am taking in and understanding how emotionally impacted she is, and giving her a clear signal that this process is happening for me.įor me to empathize on an emotional level, I would need to tap into my own emotions – hypothetical or real – in such a situation. When I think to myself, “It must be so hard for her to worry about him and to see her parents worrying about him, too,” and she sees my facial expression mirror her own worry and sadness, I am empathizing with her on a cognitive level. Suppose I am listening to a client tell me about the stress her older brother’s alcoholism is causing her family. This can happen on two different levels: cognitive and emotional. In active listening, we show that we are “feeling with” somebody in the third stage, or the responding stage, of listening. According to Carl Rogers, one of the most famous psychologists and therapists of the twentieth century, people only feel truly heard and accepted when we “feel with” them (Rogers, 1957). Let’s look closer at the empathy part of this listening. This is sometimes called active-empathic listening.


In this article, we are going to focus on listening skills for relationships.
#Good listening examples free
Let’s look at some examples of good listening skills and tips for building your listening skills.īefore reading on, if you're a therapist, coach, or wellness entrepreneur, be sure to grab our free Wellness Business Growth eBook to get expert tips and free resources that will help you grow your business exponentially.
#Good listening examples how to
That said, I have learned so much about how to listen well in adulthood, and so can you. I carry those experiences into my work as a therapist and my time spent with friends and family who ask for my ear. It was in that room, and to a lesser extent in my father’s home office, that I learned about good listening skills. She listened intently and gave me empathy and honest counsel.
#Good listening examples tv
When I sat down with her, she would give me her undivided attention: the TV was turned off, she turned to face me, and she kept eye contact as long as I wanted it. That said, I will forever be grateful that when I really needed help figuring something out or processing my emotions, I could go to my mother in the little room where she painted, read, and watched TV.
