After watching the video, I felt I could relate to the importance of active listening. Listening may not seem like an acquired skill, but it is a skill everyone should strive to achieve. When we actively listen, we try to keep an open mind and hear what the other person has to say. It is important to give your full attention to the speaker and show that what they are saying is important to you. Also, it is nice to give the speaker feedback and ask open-ended questions. Everyone likes to know that what they are saying is important and the listener is considering the topic. According to Neely (2017) active listening not only manages conflict in the workplace, but it can help avoid misunderstanding and mistakes. In healthcare, it is wise to avoid any misunderstanding that could lead to a mistake, especially if it caused patient harm. The importance of active listening cannot be overlooked.

I chose active listening as the conflict management technique because my “hot button” gets pressed when someone is not giving me their undivided attention. It is hurtful when you have put careful thought and consideration into a conversation and the other person is not paying attention or does not appear to pay attention. In the future, I feel I could ask the listener, in a respectful way, to please focus on our conversation. It also gives me the desire to always show that I am 100% invested in work conversations in the future. I will prove my attention by asking questions and keeping my body language appropriate.

Reference

Neely, J. (2017). Improving active listening skills at the workplace. Retrieved from https://toggl.com/blog/active-listening-skills/