Reflection About Listening

Communication is one of the key factors for success in our everyday lives, relationships, and professional settings. If a person does not possess strong communication skills, then the message that they are trying to convey can be misconstrued and have a negative impact on the situation. However, one of the most important components of communicating is listening. Some believe that listening has little to do with communicating, but listening holds as much importance as talking. According to ancient philosopher Zeno of Citium, “we have been given two ears but a single mouth, in order that we may hear more and talk less” (Walker, 2013). It is important for social workers to use effective listening as a critical technique when dealing with clients

The biggest barrier for me is being preoccupied or uninterested in what is being said. My intentions usually are to listen to someone and try my best to be engaged in the discussion, but my mind may already be preoccupied with something else. For example, I played basketball throughout high school which was something very special to me. On days that I knew we were going up against a very competitive team, it would be hard for me to focus at times while in class. When my teacher would begin the lesson, I could be attentive for all of five minutes, but as soon as my mind wandered to my game everything else became uninteresting. Another way that listening has affected me negatively is throughout some of my old friendships. As a teenager it became hard for me to be there as a listening ear for some friends while they vented to me, because my internal psychological filter was filled. A person’s internal psychological filter is what processes and stores information that we receive from past experiences, hopes, anxieties, etc. (Walker, 2013). Because this filter can become clouded by so many other factors, a message may not be received the right way. For example, I had a time in high school when I became depressed and felt like I had nobody to turn to. When my friends would try and talk to me about their problems, the simplest phrase would sometimes

One of the most important parts of listening that should be used with clients is active listening, also known as empathetic listening. Empathetic listening is defined as “listening with the intent to understand” (Walker, 2013). For example, when a client is expressing their problem to me, I would perform empathetic listening by letting them finish all their thoughts and then repeating it back to them. Some techniques to use would be phrases such as: “so what you’re saying is” or “so it would be safe to say that…”. This will provide the client with conformation that I fully understand what he or she is trying to communicate. In addition, active listening comes with certain physical components as well. For example, when I am listening to my client I should sit in a position that shows I am engaged. A nonverbal technique that can be used is the SOLER technique. Soler stands for Sit squarely, Open posture, Lean towards the client, Eye contact, and Relax. This technique will show my client that I am interested in what they are saying, and serve as nonverbal encouragement for them to continue