Details
Seek first to understand and then to be understood. Stephen Covey popularized this phrase, and for good reason. Understanding is the foundation of effective communication. Reflective listening (or active listening) is a powerful tool to create understanding.
A reflective listener listens for meaning and checks with the speaker to see that a statement has been correctly heard and understood. The goal is to improve mutual understanding. The listener suspends judgment and personal reactions and stays completely focused on the speaker. It sounds simple enough, but the times its most important to listen are the times when its hardest to listen. Thats why its important to know how to use reflexive listening scripts to seek to understand. Here are the dos, donts and PowerPhrases which are useful word phrases in active listening. Reflective listening is a powerful tool for communication
Sometimes people think theyve said too much when they bring up an issue and things get emotionally stirred up. I say they havent said enough. Reflective listening can be a powerful and amazing tool for communication, but it can be a dangerous tool if used half-way. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing and a little bit of understanding is a dangerous thing as well. However, complete knowledge is powerful, and so is complete understanding. Reflective listening is your key to reaching that kind of understanding. | 
