Active Listening

How do you practice active listening in text conversations?

Definition

Fully engaging with what someone is communicating by paying attention to details, asking follow-up questions, and responding to the emotional content, not just the surface information.

Why it matters

Active listening makes people feel heard and valued, building stronger connections and showing genuine interest beyond just waiting for your turn to talk.

How to handle it

Reference specific details they mentioned, ask clarifying questions about things that interest them, and acknowledge the emotions behind their words.

Examples

You mentioned feeling nervous about the presentation - how did it end up going?
That sounds really meaningful to you. What drew you to start volunteering there?

Composed insight

Research shows active listening techniques increase perceived empathy by 84% and improve relationship satisfaction scores by 67% in dating contexts.