Active Listening 2

Further, Professor Marisue Pickering identifies ten discrete skills for empathetic
listening:

Table 1. Skills Associated with Empathy

SKILLS EXPLANATION
1. Attending, acknowledging 1. Providing verbal or non-
verbal awareness of the
other, ie, eye contact

2. Restating, paraphrasing 2. Responding to person's
basic verbal message


3. Reflecting 3. Reflecting feelings,
experiences, or content
that has been heard or
perceived through cues

4. Interpreting 4. Offering a tentative
interpretation about the
other's feelings, desires,
or meanings

5. Summarizing, synthesizing 5. Bringing together in some
way feelings and
experiences; providing
a focus

6. Probing 6. Questioning in a supportive
way that requests more
information or that
attempts to clear up
confusions

7. Giving feedback 7. Sharing perceptions of the
other's ideas or feelings;
disclosing relevant
personal information

8. Supporting 8. Showing warmth and caring in
one's own individual way

9. Checking perceptions 9. Finding out if interpre-
tations and perceptions
are valid and accurate

10. Being quiet 10. Giving the other time to
think as well as to talk