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The 5 Levels of Listening

The benefits of being a great listener:

  • We understand a situation better which allows us to make informed decisions.
  • It makes the person speaking feel that they are the most important person at that particular moment in time. They see they have our undivided attention, they relax and share more openly


Stages of empathic listening:

  • Acknowledge & mimic content, using physical rapport skills with no distractions (nodding/making notes).
  • Rephrase the content.
  • Reflect feeling.
  • Create psychological air (give air-time).
  • Transactional opportunity vs transformational opportunity.
  • What’s being said and what’s not being said
  • Seeking first to understand is entirely in your control.
  • You have two ears and one mouth.

5 Levels of listening:

Level 1:

Ignoring –
Not listening at all.

Level 2:

Pretending –
“Yeah.” “Uh-huh.”

Level 3:

Selective –

Checking for words that confirm your own view and already planning what to say back.

Level 4:

Attentive listening –
Paying attention to words that are being said but not necessarily processing them

Level 5

Empathetic listening –
Listening with intent to understand. Seeing the world the way they see it. Being non-judgemental.