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Managing receptivity in communication - Listening & body language as agents for communication

SKILL: 3a. CONSTRUCTIVE COMMUNICATION

EQF LEVEL (INTERNAL REFERENCE): 4

 

Keywords:

Introduction: 

Expected Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this learning unit, you will be able to analyse other peoples’ and your own level of receptivity and evaluate whether it requires improvement. You will be able to recognise attentive or inattentive listening and respond appropriately and understand the meaning of body language. 

Content: 

Good receptivity to information, feelings and implicit messages from other people can be learned. It is important for us to understand exactly what other people are trying to tell us. Here are a few tips on how to improve your own receptiveness and effective communication.

 

Proper understanding through active listening:

To improve receptivity, proper understanding is the be-all and end-all. But how do I understand what the person I am talking to really means? The probability of correctly understanding the other person can be significantly increased by listening correctly. 

 

- Look directly at your conversation partner and lean towards him or her. This conveys to your counterpart that you are attentive. 

- Maintain eye contact but try not to fixate on the person, this can make the situation uncomfortable. 

- Avoid distractions from mobile phones, television and other people. 

- Try to remain non-judgmental and instead focus on how the person is behaving and what they are trying to tell you.

- Respond to the other person by nodding your head if you understand. Or say something that expresses your interest: "Oh, I see", "Tell me more about that".

- Remain open to what the person you are talking to has to say. 

- Let your fellow human beings finish speaking and make their point, even if this is sometimes difficult.

- Immerse yourself in the conversation by asking questions if you have not understood something. You can also briefly summarise what your counterpart has said after a statement. This will help you to understand the message correctly. Your interviewer can also see if the information has reached you correctly or if you need more details.

 

Prejudices and biases are a hindrance to receptivity in communication, as they can distort a neutral and clear view of things. Another point that reduces receptivity is messages that we do not want to hear. This can be the case when criticism is expressed towards us. It is then difficult to remain neutral, to listen carefully and to understand what the other person has to say. Nevertheless, it is important to overcome these hurdles and listen to the other person's opinions even in such delicate situations. Because if you don't listen to your counterpart's point of view, you deprive yourself of the chance to learn something.

 

IMPORTANT: A big part of receptivity in communication, is listening. If we apply the tips and listen intensively to our counterpart, we increase the probability of understanding what our communication partner means. 

 

Has it ever happened to you that a person said something and you were irritated because the body language expressed something completely different? If you are not sure what the person really wants to say, focus on the body language and tone of voice because often it is important what people are really thinking or feeling. This will help you put yourself in their shoes and understand them better. Not just the spoken message, but all the information the person sends is important for effective communication. With the help of follow-up questions and small summaries during the conversation, both your counterpart and yourself can check whether everything has been taken in correctly. Understanding and the knowledge of being understood is an important point in communication. If the person you are talking to notices that you really want to understand them and are trying to know their ideas and opinions, your connection to each other can strengthen.

SOURCES

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