Describe what takes place in the process of active listening

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In the interview, the successful interviewer will utilize the technique of listening, and when true communication takes place, the interviewer should adopt an attitude of active listening, which will encourage the interviewee to express himself freely and stimulate continuing responses. Skill in listening is a primary qualification for the position of first-line supervisor. There is ample evidence that the best listeners are the best interviewers. The greatest learning occurs not through speaking but through listening, an art difficult for some supervisors. Understanding is a by-product of listening, through which one gains some insight into the speaker's desires, ideas, concepts, and attitudes. It is not a passive but an active function, which requires that the listener be actively attentive to what is said. It requires effort to listen actively and involves much more than hearing only that which one wants to hear. Listening must be a positive function so that the person speaking will be encouraged to reveal his real rather than his superficial feelings. Employment of the active listening technique is often difficult for supervisors simply because they are not aware that the final objective of interviewing cannot be accomplished until the first objective of listening and understanding has taken place. This process involves considerable skill. All too often, supervisors are not good listeners because, as managers of people, they become habituated to speaking rather than listening, giving orders and directions more frequently than receiving them, and making decisions that affect others. In order to gain real understanding, two things must exist: a sincere desire on the part of the interviewer to gain a better understanding of others—their problem situation and the degree of their involvement in such a situation—and a forthright approach to the interview designed to make such understanding possible. Basically, this involves sensitivity on the part of the interviewer not only to the interviewee's words but also to his underlying feelings, attitudes, and motives. Therefore, the interview should not be so closely structured as to discourage the person interviewed from airing his problem; rather, he should be encouraged to engage in the process of mental catharsis so that his repressed feelings at the very base of the problem may be brought out. The interviewer should respond in a limited way to encourage such reactions. The interviewee should be helped to talk, not be subjected to it. The process of active listening gives the person being interviewed an opportunity to understand himself better and, in so doing, to gain a different interpretation of the problem at hand. The interviewer also gains the opportunity to better understand the situation and the degree of the employee's personal involvement. In addition, the process provides a good opportunity for the interviewer to broaden the base on which he must make judgments and take action. It is not suggested that the supervisor-interviewer merely listen during the interview. This would rarely enable him to achieve his true objectives. Each situation will involve some giving and receiving of information. The procedure does suggest, however, that the process of listening be emphasized, at least until the point is reached where understanding of the employee, his attitudes, and his views has developed sufficiently to enable the supervisor to make sound judgments and to take action as indicated. Having taken the action, he must listen to evaluate its effectiveness.