Assignment 14

Communication skills

Q.1 Active listening is when you try to understand the speaker from their point of view and letting
the speaker know that you are listening and understanding what they are saying for example leaning
into the conversation whereas passive listening is when the listener doesn’t give feedback to the
speaker or not concentrating for example the listener can allow their mind to wonder around whilst
the speaker is still talking.

ii. Techniques that can help you listen actively:

 Make a decision to listen

 Stay focused
 Don't interrupt the speaker
 Show that you are listening

iii. Open questions allows the person you are having a conversation with to provide more than just a
“yes or no’’ answer whereas closed questions can be answered with one or two words. Open
questions allow the listener to reply openly and share more information and notions, but closed
questions don’t allow the other person to share how they feel about a particular circumstance.

iv. Open questions allows the other person to give feedback on a certain conversation, it also
encourages people to share their opinions and notions.

v. Verbal probes are often a single word or short phrase, and it allows people express their thoughts,
ideas and feeling. It encourages your conversation partner to add to their previous response for
example “tell me more about it” whereas non-verbal response relies on body language and facial
expressions for example pursing you lips and frowning.

2. Probing techniques

 Ask an open question: Use open questions for example “can you please describe that more
clearly”. If keep asking these questions, the conversation can feel like he is being
interrogated and get annoyed so use them carefully.
 Pause: when having a conversation, it feels uncomfortable when there is a moment of
silence. Use what was said earlier.
 Use Reflective or mirroring questions: Use statements that reflects back to the speaker has
said and then pause. The speaker will provide you more answers without asking them more
question.
 Paraphrase: Reflect what the conversation partner has just said, this allows them to hear
what they have just said from someone else's point of view.
 Use summary question: Summery questions are necessary for example an employee doesn’t
cooperate, instead of coming back to them with more questions, speak with them in a
reflective tone of voice and pause again. Usually, the person feels triggered and provide you
with additional information.