What are the qualities of a good listener?

Hi!Sometimes its enough if you lend a sympathetic ear to a person and not offer any solutions.I have seen many people find their own solutions when they are speaking their mind out to someone.You can encourage the person to speak by asking questions without sounding inquisitive.You can be sympathetic and think of yourself in his situation and can reassure.

what i do is i let the person rant and rant and ask a few questions here and there, if she asks for advice, i will give some points for her to consider. it is like giving her suggestions, "what if" questions, countering her assumptions,showing her what i think are the effects if doing this and also the effects of not doing it, just to show her both sides of the coin. check out this site for more tips =) http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Listener

Hello agmamayo. I think the qualities of a good listener is to listen carefully to what the other person is saying. You should only talk when he/she is finish talking and when talking to that person you should look at him/her directly, dont shift your attention to other things. The person might think that you are not interested in listening.

I'm impressed that many people have given some real good answers for your discussion here. I believe the fundamental of a good listener is totally his or her attention. That's all there is to it. Just a listening ear. I don't want to be telling someone my problem, and minutes later, he or she goes on to talk about their problems, LOL. I wouldn't mind if he or she is the one to consult me first. But since I am the one approaching the subject, I feel that he or she should give due attention to me for a good 15 minutes or so, ha! I believe that sometimes people whom have problems to share or tell, they don't want to hear solutions. They just want a bit of compassion from that someone listening and to hear them for a bit. On the other hand, there are those good listeners but the people sharing their problem would go on and on and on until the listener is getting sleepy. LOL. I think it goes both ways. The complainer and the listener in this case should give roughly a few minutes of their time and not to drag too much time.

yes!Giving both your ears with full attention is the basic quality needed to be a listener.More than that encouraging the other with questions that would bring out the complete picture of their narration will also help.To add,gaining confidence,that you are a good listener too adds.Cheers!

Good listening skills help us get along with others, be better parents, and work better at our jobs. People who listen save time and seem smarter and and more understanding. These qualities can help us get better jobs. Listening is hard because so many things fight for our attention. The speaker and the listener must both work hard when communicating to make sure each one gets the message. Have one conversation at a time. Listening to two things at one time means you can't hear or think about either one. Let others finish talking. To listen well, you must stop talking. Don't interrupt or put words in the other person's mouth. Don't be turned off by how others talk. Try to listen to wha a person says and not how he or she says it. It is easier to listen to some people that others. Make sure you heard right. If you didn't hear or don't understand what someone said, have them say it again. Ask them to explain it. Know what the other person wants. Ask yourself, Why are we talking? Is what they have to say important? Watch body language. Body language is a person's gestures, tone of voice, body posture, and facial expressions. It may say more than words. Listen to what the other person DOESN'T say. People don't like difficult situations. They may not look at you, use unnatural words, or pause a lot. if they do, ask questions to help them. Don't let "red flag" or "hot button" words throw you. Some words such as gay, abortion, and so on can upset us. This stops us from listening. When you hear things that make you mad or upset, try to listen anyway. Very few people are good listeners. In your everyday life how many people can you remember who are good listeners, people who remembered your name or what you said. In fact you would have met a couple of people in recent weeks you thought were good listeners, What were your feelings towards these people. I am sure you have more Trust, Confidence and Faith in them. Most of us find it very hard to listen. Salespeople think of themselves as being good talkers instead of Listeners. You hear people saying, 'He is a born Salesman'. He has the gift of gab. Kerry Johnson in his book 'Mastering the Game' says many people believe that speech is power and that listening is subservient. He believes a good listener has much more power in a Conversation. The listener is able to get more information than the talker. When two people are talking, the person who dominates the conversation is the person who is asking the questions and listening. The job of the salesperson is to listen to his customers. Most successful salespeople will agree. Qualities of a good listener: 1. Repeat and Clarify Information 2. Exchange Information. 3. Listen to Emotions. 4. Always be Alert and Attentive. 5. Never distract the Customer while talking. Listening is an essential skill for making and keeping relationships. Once you are a good listener people confide in you and trust you. Listening with Openness is very important. When you are face to face with the Customer you have to do the following: 1.Maintain good eye contact. 2.Paraphrase. 3.Clarify by asking questions. 4.Concentrate. 5.Keep away from distraction. 6.Be Committed. sources : http://extension.unl.edu/welfare/listener.htm http://ezinearticles.com/?Listening-Skills&id=10156

Well, I'd say one thing you need is patience, because sometimes people go on, still, try to pay attention. Ask them some questions, try to feel like you're in their position. And most of all you must interested in what they're saying, because there's no point in them asking you for advice if you're not interested in what they have to say.