TEchNOLOGy TRaNSFER MODEL - Javna agencija

KNOWLEDGE FOR BUSINESS IN BORDER REGIONS
10 Ten golden rules for active listening in facilitation
1. Become/ get accustomed to the position of the speaker and take a look/ feel /hear the situation from her perspective.
2. Stop with inner dialogue, remove distracting influences, and give up other activities.
3. Focus on the contents and show interest in the speaker and in the things that are important to her/him.
4. Paraphrase and summarize; ask questions which will help you check if you understood the speaker’s voice (situation/question/
comment/ doubt/hesitation) correctly.
5. Show that you are listening also with non-verbal language.
6. Do not assess, do not judge, do not comment, and do not interrupt.
7. Pay attention to what the speaker did not tell, also listen between the lines.
8. Write down the most important message details.
9. During facilitation use your colleague’s name (last name), his title and always address him/her with Sir or Madam (this rule vary
in different cultural backgrounds).
10. Be calm, focused and positively oriented.
3.8.2 Paraphrasing and summarizing
Checking with summarization and/ or paraphrasing is a way and also an ability to accustom oneself through empathy into someone
else’s position or situation and means, that we are able to listen to words and thoughts behind them, to take into consideration
emotions which accompany the words, and also to recognize the deeper meaning of the message of our partner in conversation. We
respond to our partner’s words in the way that we try to explain to him in our own words how we understand him and the things we
perceived with him. Through reflective sentences we make a mirror-image of his thoughts and emotions: »If I understand correctly,
you would rather ...« – »I have a feeling that you wanted to ...« – »I see you would like to... It is probably most important for you
to…«– – »So, these are the main issues ...« – »Let’ see now ...« – »To summarize what you have just suggested ...« – »Do I understand
correctly that in your opinion ...«
Continuous renovation and summarization assures to check the correct understanding of the said in communication, and the same
time helps us making notes regarding the key points of conversation/ process. This is the first step on the way of understanding an
individual (and his viewpoints, interests, needs, expectations ...), which the conversation or discussion analysis and synthesis are
based on. Summarization helps us in discovering assumptions, similarities, differences and the diversity of views that appear between
group members in a facilitated process.
Frequency of summarizing depends on the situation, for beginners it is advisable to do it more often for summarizing longer debates
and conversations a group might engage in, is very challenging, and requires expertise.
Opportunities for a facilitator to summarize a conversation are the following:
• Discord appears in a group: What about?
• Evident agreement in a group: Upon what?
• The group move from the outlined topic or task.
• When a facilitator wants to write down conclusions, resolutions, eventual difficulties.
• When a group finds itself in a vicious circle, and cannot move forward.
• When an »aha« moment – a moment of enlightenment happens in a group.
• When there is silence in a group.
By paraphrasing and summarizing we ensure that the participants feel understood and heard. At the same time, this is and excellent
way for us, facilitators, to avoid interpretations, for we constantly check whether we heard what a speaker wanted us to hear.
3.8.3 Asking questions
Asking questions efficiently, for example asking the right questions at the right time
and the right way is one of facilitator’s key competences. When asking we are researching
or reviewing. Regarding asking questions efficiently in a facilitated process it
is of much relevance to establish rapport with the group (of co-workers) / individuals
within it, with oneself, as well as to create a relaxed and safe atmosphere.
A facilitator collects information through good questions (regarding expectations,
feelings, points of view, opinions, issues, interferences, feedback, etc.), he verifies
understanding, progress and assumptions. In addition, he also discovers certain hidden
and not communicated problems and barriers, fears, hesitations, doubts, which
are hindering individual or group progress. Well structured questions help to wheedle
relevant information necessary for implementing a certain task from an individual or a
group. These help the facilitator verify whether the partner in conversation/ individuals
in the group correctly understood the instructions, expressed opinions and points of
view (thoughts, propositions etc.) while at the same he can verify his own understanding
of expressed thoughts, points of view, and questions of partner in conversation/
colleagues within a certain group.
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