Active Listening Skills
Active listening is an essential mentoring skill. One of the most common mistakes mentors can make
is confusing ìhearingî and ìlistening.î Hearing is merely noting that someone is speaking. Listening,
however, is making sense of what is heard and requires the individual to constantly pay attention,
interpret, and remember what is heard. Hearing is passive; listening is active. The passive listener is
much like a tape recorder. If the speaker is providing a clear message, the listener will probably get
most of what is said. For mentors, this is not enough. They must be active listeners. Active listening
requires the listener to hear the words and identify the feelings associated with the words. Mentors
should be able to understand the speaker from his or her point of view. There are four essential
requirements for active listening:
• Intensity
• Empathy
• Acceptance
• Willingness to take responsibility for completene