What is active listening

What is active listening? When is it appropriate to use an active listening style?

Active listening is when you’re able to signal that you understand and support someone. By active listening you put together the speaker’s message through their nonverbal and verbal content and feelings. Three techniques of active listening are paraphrasing the speakers meaning, asking questions, and expressing understanding of the speaker’s feelings. By stating what you think the speaker meant shows your understand and interest in the conversation. Asking questions not only strengthens your understanding of the speaker’s feelings and thoughts but also shows your support. When you express your understanding for his or her feeling it will help you check your perception of it and also help the speaker to see their own feelings open-mindedly.
Active listening is the most important communication skill. It is appropriate to use active listening style when someone is demonstrating his or her feelings. For example, when my friend and her boyfriend broke up she was distraught. As a friend I used the active listening style. I repeated what I felt she meant and I asked her questions and I gave her my opinion and she saw it in another view. It is all about communication. I used active listening skills to let her know that I understand her feelings.