Hi, so sometime ago I watched a video explaining how to "listen like a therapist" which I found very interesting and helpful as a social skill in which it described completely shutting off your brain and really just listening to a person while they speak, instead of thinking of what to say and simply waiting for them to stop talking for you to say it immediately.
In addition, to listen like a therapist as Carl Rogers did, you would paraphrase what they said back to them, and this would make the other person feel heard because you literally had to listen in order to be able to paraphrase accurately. And if you got a small part of it wrong, then the other person would correct you or clarify what they meant. This lets them refine their thoughts in addition to feeling heard. And this technique pertains to the content of what the person said.
To listen like a therapist, you also would label what you think they're feeling, for example, "That sounds frustrating", "You must be excited", etc. I'm less clear on what this does for the speaker, but I think it's meant to create an emotional connection, or make them feel "Yes, you totally get me!" And this technique pertains to the emotions of what the person is saying.
Finally, while listening, you would offer non-verbal or verbal signs of active listening like saying "Mhm", "Okay", "Yes", nodding your head in confirmation, and encouraging them to say more, etc.
Are there any books that offer similar advice to this for becoming a better listener?
Thanks!
by jgonzalez-cs