Table 1 : Active Listening Techniques

- Ask for clarification.

- To get additional facts or opinions.

- To help explore all sides of an issue.

- To define a term.

- To encourage the speaker to analyze other aspects and discuss them with you.

- Can you clarify this?

- How do you think that occurred?

- What do you mean by ...?

- Does that mean ...?

- Paraphrase for meaning.

- To check your interpretation with the speaker’s intended meaning.

- To show you understand what the speaker is saying.

- To check your expectations of the speaker’s behavioral patterns.

- As I understand it, you mean ...?

 - Am I right that you’re saying ...?

 - This is what you have decided to do and the reasons are ...?

- Check perceptions.

- To show that you understand how the speaker feels at this moment.

- To check the accuracy of your perception of emotion in the speaker.

- To help the speaker evaluate and temper to her feelings.

- I imagine you feel pretty annoyed right now.

- You look pleased.

- You seem angry about ...

- You seem a bit nervous. How can I help?

- Make summarizing statement.

- To bring the discussion into focus.

- To serve as a springboard for further discussion.

- To check the overall accuracy of your understanding and for important points overlooked or left out.

 - As I have heard them, these are the key ideas that you mentioned ...

- So your main points are then ...

 - Let me see if I can summarize what you’ve said ...