Active Listening

"Active listening" looks different for everyone.

If we have our headphones in or aren’t looking at you, it does not mean we aren't paying attention, taking notes in our head, or hearing you properly.

We are lessening the sensory stimuli for ourselves, and, as a result, we sometimes listen BETTER when we are not looking at you or have earphones in, as we are lessening the sensory overload of our surrounding environment. Instead of focusing on three or four stimuli, we are only focused on one or two at most.

Sometimes, eye contact can serve as a distraction which can hinder our ability to understand you.

Alt: Title is Active Listening, on the left, two people are making eye contact with the subtitle, "some people demonstrate active listening like this" and on the right is a person wearing headphones with the subtitle, "others display active listening like this"