In this section, we will cover active listening, which can help bridge the gap between having good rapport and gaining relevant information.
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According to the International Listening Association, active listening can be defined as receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages. Active listening aims to focus the interviewer’s attention on the participant. This involves more than simply listening to the words your participant says. You also analyze what you hear, pick up on emotion, and acknowledge what is being said through cues such as eye contact or insightful comments (CSU Global, 2021).
Active listening is important during interview research because it allows the researcher to communicate empathy and build trust with the participant. It also works to confirm the participant’s experiences and encourage them to provide details. Here are three main elements of active listening (Weger et al., 2014):
- Expressing interest in the speaker’s message
- Paraphrasing the participant’s message to make sure you understand it while also refraining from judgment
- Asking questions to encourage the speaker to elaborate
Below is a visualization of active listening. As you can see, active listening involves three stages. First, you should sense, or absorb what your participant is communicating. This requires patience, maintained interest, and an accepting attitude. You should also evaluate what your participant says. For example, you can mentally organize the information, remember key points, and empathize with your participant. Finally, as you respond to your participant, you should ideally demonstrate interest, seek clarification, and probe for more information.
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If you’ve ever taken a lecture course or attended a conference, you might know that listening for a long time is not as easy as it seems. In interview research, you have to combine listening with other things like observing body language, thinking about what to say, and at times interrupting the participant’s response, which may make the listening aspect a bit more difficult.
Active listening will give you a deeper understanding of the participant’s beliefs by creating empathy and making them feel heard. We will break active listening down into two different strategies: creating opportunities for open responses and negotiating the meaning of specific points (Louw et al., 2011).
For Example…
If you were conducting interviews with elementary school teachers to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected their students’ learning, you might begin with an open-ended question such as “How has the transition to a remote classroom affected learning?” This will elicit a lengthy response upon which you can follow-up with more specific probing questions. You can also reflect the participant’s response back to them by saying, for example, “What I am hearing is that you’ve noticed an improvement in your students’ technological skills due to the remote classroom environment. Can you elaborate on the implications of this improvement?” The participant will then have the opportunity to clarify their original answer and even expand on it. The effort you showed in being able to repeat their answer back to them demonstrates to the participant that you were actively engaged in what they said during their response to your original open-ended question.
This clip from a video by The School of Life describes what makes a good listener.
Active listening may seem like a complex and abstract concept, but there are some simple techniques you can use to help you be a successful listener. We can split the techniques into “verbal” and “nonverbal,” both of which are equally important when implementing active listening.
First, some nonverbal techniques (Given, 2008):
- Focus on the participant’s face and orient your body towards them
- Maintain an attentive demeanor
- Maintain an open posture
- Appear relaxed
- Keep a neutral attitude on your face (don’t judge!)
Second, some verbal techniques (Given, 2008):
- Paraphrase, or restate what the participant said in different words
- Reflect on what you can perceive through nonverbal channels. For example, if you notice a change in the demeanor of the participant when you get to a certain topic, address this change and ask them why they feel this way
- Interpret and check your perception of what the participant is saying
- Summarize what you’ve talked about so far once you get to a transition point in the interview
Finally, remember that silence can be used to your advantage! Silence can communicate respect, empathy, and interest. At the same time, it can demonstrate calmness and patience (Given, 2008). This is because silence allows the interviewer to relinquish control and power, demonstrating that they are not concerned if the story is not progressing (Durkin et al., 2020). Don’t be afraid of pauses in conversation and moments of silence, it may be just what the participant needs to get talking!
Personal Project
As you approach your research, practice using some of the active listening techniques that have been discussed. The more you use active listening skills, the easier they will become. Try conducting practice interviews to acquaint yourself with the qualities of active listening.