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To truly actively listen you need to not only listen to content and emotion but also to acknowledge them. Good listening skills are very important to our personal and professional life and directly impact how good we are at communicating with others. Click here to answer this 10 question test to find out " how good a listener you are?"

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The most powerful form of listening is called active listening. Active listeners take in the whole of the speaker's message and then confirm their understanding and let the speaker know they are listening. Active listeners go beyond the words and listen to the feelings as well. 

The following are common habits of active listeners:

 Never interrupt the speaker and show patience and empathy.

 Good use of eye contact and body language to show speaker that they are interested and listening.

 Encourage the speaker to talk more by providing verbal feedback and gestures.

 Acknowledge the emotions expressed with the message.

 Never start working on the information they are getting while the speaker is still speaking. Instead give the speaker their full attention.

 Ask a balance of open and closed questions.