Active Listening
Use of Active Listening to slow down a discussion, or manage dominant participants
Goal
Can be used when participants are actively engaged to slow down a discussion, to demonstrate that you have heard what the person has said, to stop a person from dominating the conversation.
Materials
Instructions
During
1. This intervention begins with waiting until there is a pause when someone is speaking. it can be that you will need to interrupt the person by saying, "excuse me, can I check to see if I understand you."
2. Restate in the words of the speaker what they had said.
3. Ask if what you had said is an accurate restatement of what they were saying.
4. If it was not, ask the participant to summarize what they were saying.
5. If it was an accurate restatement then you can ask the other person to continue or ask other participants to contribute, or other things.
After
Usual or Expected Outcomes: The group slows down the discussion, the person who was speaking knows that they have been understood, the person who is dominating the discussion stops talking.
Online
This method may be used online without modification.
Comments (2) (3.0 avg / 1 ratings)
Hope Mc Nish
Sometimes a participant may take a long time making their point and you can sense that it is affecting communication within the group. This approach helps in highlighting their main point and may open up the discussion for others to comment.
James Smart