Using the following active listening techniques will help you to improve your listening skills.

• Decide to listen and concentrate on the speaker.
• Use your imagination and enter the speaker’s situation. Concentrate and try to imagine his or her frame of reference and point of view.
• Observe the speaker’s vocal inflection, enthusiasm or lack of it, and style of delivery. These are essential components of the message. If you are speaking face-to-face, pay attention to the speaker’s facial expressions and other nonverbal cues for more insight into the message.
• Listen without interruption. Note key phrases or use word associations to remember the speaker’s content.
• Use paraphrasing or clarifying questions to confirm that you received the intended message. Paraphrasing demonstrates that you listened by:
• Summarizing—restating the speaker’s statement and feelings.
• Using your own words—not parroting back what was said.
• Remaining neutral—expressing neither your agreement nor disagreement (verbally or nonverbally).
• Check your perceptions of how the speaker is feeling—are you putting the text of the message in the appropriate emotional context?