A Review on Active-Empathetic Listening

Abstract

As Epictetus said, "If there is an art of speaking well, there is an art of listening and understanding well". It is a mistake to think that the biggest share in the success of communication belongs to the speaker. In reality, the effort and responsibility for the communication action to achieve the desired results is based on a joint basis between the speaker and the listener. Hearing and listening are related but separate actions. Hearing is a physiological process, while listening is a psychological process. Effective listening is not just hearing what is being said, but also finding, comprehending and evaluating what is said important. In addition, active listening is an active process. A good listener first concentrates all his/her attention on the speaker and establishes eye contact with him/her. He/she gives verbal or nonverbal messages to show that he/she is listening carefully. Active and empathetic listening skills play an important role in the individual's being effective and successful in social and success areas. When all these are taken into consideration, the necessity of developing active and empathetic listening skills is understood.