Sociology. Active Listening Steps - Essay Example

Sociology Essay Active Listening Steps One day my grade 5 daughter told me that she is one of the candi s for conduct awardee in their grade level. The conduct award is the highest award given in every grade level in elementary. I was so happy because she got that same award when she was in grade 4. I told her we should pray about it and hope she gets the award. A week after, my daughter came to my room crying. I was watching TV at that time so I turned it off so that I could find out why she was crying.

I wanted to give her my 100% attention. I asked her the reason why she was crying. I listened intently to her and looked at her straight in the eye. At the same time I was hugging her too. She told me that she did not get the award. At that instant, I felt the pain that she was feeling. I held her hand and asked her if she asked her class adviser why she did not get the award. She said she inquired and was informed that she was however, the second in contention. Her class adviser told her that she could have gotten the award if only she participated more in class recitations.

Her teacher said that she should be more assertive next time. My daughter felt really bad. I felt sorry for her but at the same time I knew that I had to talk to her about it. I hugged her tightly and wiped her tears away. I just embraced her for a few minutes without saying a word. I wanted her to feel my love and concern for her. At the back of my mind, I was trying to gather my thoughts and trying to think of the right words to say so I could pacify her and make her still feel good about herself.

Throughout the entire moment, I was holding her hands as if to tell her that I am always there for her no matter what happens. During this very emotional moment with my child, I practiced the steps of active listening. First of all, to show to her that I was ready to listen, I turned off the television to let her know that I was ready to listen attentively to her. Second, I looked at her straight to the eye. At the same time, by hugging and holding her hand, my gestures and posture was able to prove to her that I was concerned about what she was going to tell me.

I was also calm and relaxed and not frantic. I felt that if I would show her that I was upset too, it would rub on to her and would only worsen the situation. My being cool and composed made her stop crying and I saw that she became calmer too. I knew that she felt that I empathized with what she was going through. I had to show her that she could trust me with anything that she wishes to say and with whatever feelings she wanted to show. I asked her questions so I can direct the discussion to the key issues at hand.

Asking questions also showed that I was very much interested with what she was telling me. In the end, I reiterated what she told me to impart to her that I was indeed listening and that I understood every word she said. In the end, I gave her my thoughts on what happened. I believe that active listening is very important especially in dealing with family members. It is not merely hearing what they are trying to say but also feeling their words and emotions. Active listening does not only require the sense of hearing.

It is a collaboration of one’s sense of touch, sight and hearing. Work Cited Henslin, James. Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, 8th Ed., Pearson, 2009. Print