Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 1, Session 1: Me and My Assets | Page 14 of 128Here are some things you can say that will show the person you are listening well.
Encourage: Be friendly, warm, and patient with the person. Remember, when you
have something important to say, you really want to be heard! For example,
you might say, “I’m really glad you came to talk to me.”Feelings: Describe the feelings you are hearing and ask the person to confirm
whether you have heard them right. For example, you might say, “Sounds like
you're feeling pretty worried about this whole thing, is that true?”Clarify: Make sure you understand the person's meaning or their use of different
words. For example, you might say, “If I understand right, you're saying ... ”
or “Tell me what you mean by ... ”Questions: Ask questions that can’t be answered with one word, especially with yes
or no. If you begin questions with do, does, did, is, was, were you are likely to
get a yes or no response. If you do get a one-word response, use follow-up
questions like “How did you feel when ... ” or “Tell me more about ... ”Summarize: Bring together the related ideas you heard and state a conclusion. Let
the person tell you whether your conclusion is correct. For example, you
might say, “So, since you’ve been very responsible in the past, you think your
parents should let you go to the party.”Handout 1: Show You Are Listening