Training of Roma Health Mediators in Reproductive Health

IV-VII. ACTIVE LISTENING (20 minutes)
Ask the group:
‣ How do you know when someone is actively listening to you?
Non-verbal communication: eye contact, leaning forward, nodding.
Brief responses which demonstrate interest and encourage the person to continue to talk:
uh-huh, oh, I see, etc.
Reformulation of what I said in his/her own words. This:
• Verifies that the other person has understood what I said
• Serves as feedback, allowing the other person to reflect on what they said (listening
to their problem paraphrased as I understood it)
Clarifying/Open questions:
• When posed by the other person, such questions indicate to me that he/she is
listening.
• When used by me (the mediator) in interpersonal communication for behavior
change with women in the community, such questions help the woman consider all
aspects of her problem and better assess the alternatives and solutions.
‣ How do you know when someone is only partly listening to you?
He/She does other things at the same time (writes, reads, visits with others)
He/She looks at the floor, at the wall, or out the window.
He/She interrupts and gives advice before I’ve explained all of my problem
He/She fidgets, giving an impression of impatience, boredom or distraction.
‣ How do you feel when you try to explain a problem to someone and they do not
listen?
Frustrated, inferior, inadequate etc
Ask participants:
‣ What is active listening?
A communication technique used by “helpers” to help people to analyze and resolve their
problems themselves. The “helper”:
1) uses a variety of short responses,
2) paraphrases /reformulates what the person said, and
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RFHI/JSI Romania Training of RHMs in Reproductive Health Session 14: Interpersonal Communication