MODULE 1

Meaning of “Interactive”
Something that is interactive is something that you can communicate or
interact with. The coolest thing about the Internet is how interactive it is. You're
constantly putting information and getting other information back.

Think of interactive as the adjectival version of the verb "to interact."

The inter- part of the word means "between, together, among," while
the act- part means "to do." Put them together, and you get "to do together or
among." Turn that verb into an adjective, and you get interactive. Interactive
games are the most fun, because the more you and the game interact, the
more interesting it is.

What is Interactive Listening?

‘Interactive listening' means attentive listening,where you listen well and
concentrate on what is being said without falling out of touch with the speaker
and being therefore able to respond efficiently.

10 Tips for B
10 TIPS FOR BETTER INTERACTIVE LISTENING: IT’S NOT
HOW YOU ACT BUT HOW YOU REACT

1. Hence, With Interactive Listening, Ask Open Questions To Start

Information Flow:

Interactive Listening
 “Tell us more about . . .”
 “Give us a better description about . . .”
2. Body Language Interactive Listening Remains Sensitive To:

 Direct eye contact

 Involved posture:
-lean forward
 -don’t fold arms
-avoid cold shoulder
 Use pleasant, encouraging facial expression.
 Use skeptical expressions only to gain clarification, but
beware: they can impede information flow.
 Smile
3. Instead Use Neutral Encouragement:

 “Hmmmm”
 “Interesting”
 “Really?”
 “No kidding?”
 “Wow”
 “OK
4. Interactive Listening Permits Challenge With Add-On Comments,
Comparisons, Analogies:

 “What makes that different than the (XYZ deal)?”

 “Sounds like trying to hold off the flood by putting your
finger in the dike . . .”
5. Stress Clarification Questions:

 “Explain more about . . .”

 “Restate that as if you were speaking to your
grandmother.”
 “Do you mean (insert reflective comment)?”
 “What is different between (this) and (that)?”
 “What type of impact . . .?”
 “Huh?”
6. Conclude Comments And Conversation With A Summary:

 At the end of the conversation, summarize the important

points and ask for confirmation that you understood the other
party, not that you necessarily agreed with everything said.
 “We apparently have agreed on the following course of
action . . .”
 “Your position on the matter was . . .”
7. Therefore, Don’t Debate The Issue:
  Listen intently while the other person talks. Focus
on understanding the other person’s point of view so that you
can provide thorough reflection.
8. Rather, Restate And Ask For Confirmation:

 “Let’s ensure that we understand that correctly. You said
that…”
9. Hence, Silence Or Minimal Speaking During Interactive Listening:

 Silence lasting three to five seconds will encourage

the participant to say more.
 Defer to other participants
 Practice saying “Go ahead, continue.”
 Avoid interrupting:
 Therefore, interrupt only to ask clarification
questions or to increase momentum through a quick
comment.
 Don’t change the subject without announcing your
intention to do so.
10. Most Importantly, Take Notes:

 Note taking usually honors the speaker and

encourages information flow.
 Take notes, not dictation; stay in the conversation;
maintain eye contact.
 Note taking may impede information flow however, and
some speakers may not
 want a written record of their
comments on sensitive issues.

Interactive Listening Skills

Posted by Peter Barron Stark | Print This Post

How can you be sure that you understand the messages your counterpart is
communicating? When negotiating, use interactive skills which include
clarifying, verifying, and reflecting to be sure that you and your counterpart are
on the same page:
 Clarifying
 You are clarifying when you use facilitative questions to fill in the details,
get additional information, and explore all sides of an issue. For example,
“What specific information do you need me to provide?” Or “Precisely
when do you want the report?”

 Verifying

You are verifying information when you paraphrase the speaker’s words to
ensure that you understand her meaning. For example, “As I understand it,
your plan is . . .”; “It sounds like you’re saying . . .”; or “This is what you’ve
decided, and the reasons are . . .”

 Reflecting

You are reflecting when you make remarks that acknowledge and show
empathy for the speaker’s feelings. To create win-win outcomes, you must
be empathetic. Most of us easily feel empathy for a person who is
experiencing something we have experienced ourselves. But true empathy
is a skill, not a memory. Negotiators who have developed this skill can be
empathetic even with counterparts with whom they have little in common. A
negotiator’s ability to empathize has been found to significantly affect the
counterpart’s behavior and attitudes.


To be empathetic, you need to accurately perceive the content of the

speaker’s message, recognize the emotional components and unexpressed
meanings behind the message, and attend to the speaker’s feelings.
Empathy is not the same thing as sympathy. A sympathetic individual adopts
another person’s feelings as his own; an empathetic individual understands
and relates to the other person’s feelings—while remaining detached. For
example, “I can see that you were frustrated because . . .”; “You felt that you
didn’t get a fair shake because . . .”; or “You seem very confident that you
can do a great job for . . .”


When you are truly practicing reflective listening, you make no judgments,
pass along no opinions, and provide no solutions. You simply acknowledge
the emotional content of the sender’s message. Here are some examples:

 Sender: “How do you expect me to complete the project by next

Monday?”
 Reflective response: “It sounds like you feel overwhelmed by your
workload.”
 Sender: “Hey, Mary, what’s the idea of not approving my
requisition for a new filing cabinet?”
Reflective response: “You sound upset that your request was not
approved.”

The goal of reflective listening is to acknowledge the emotion your

counterpart has conveyed and reflect the content back to your counterpart
using different words. For example:
 Sender: “I can’t believe you want me to do the job in less than a
week.”
Reflective response: “You sound concerned about the amount of time you
have to complete the job.”

MIDTERM ACTIVITY:

UPON READING THE TEXTS GIVEN ABOVE, HAVE A LIST OF 10

ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE SUITED FOR INTERACTIVE LISTENING AND
DISCUSS THE DETAILS ON HOW THESE COULD BE DONE
EFFECTIVELY.