Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead, First Edition

The Active Listening Skill Set

Active listening is a person's willingness and ability to hear and understand. Many of us intuitively know what active listening looks, sounds, and feels like. However, we may not know what to do to be successful at it. By learning the skills and behaviors of active listening, leaders can become more effective listeners and, over time, improve their ability to lead.

It is useful to think of active listening as an exchange between people. On one level, the quality of a conversation can be improved when one person is engaged in active listening. Leaders who practice active listening are able to draw out more information and more meaningful information during a conversation. At its most engaging and effective, active ...