What does "Active Listening" involve?

Active listening involves maintaining full attention on multiple levels, which means being completely engaged in the conversation. This includes not only hearing the words being spoken but also understanding the underlying feelings and intentions of the speaker. Active listening requires the listener to focus both on the content of the message and the emotional tone, allowing for a deeper connection and facilitating effective communication.

Engagement in active listening can include nodding, maintaining eye contact, and responding appropriately to show understanding and empathy. This form of listening helps build trust between the speaker and listener, encourages open communication, and promotes a better understanding of the subject matter being discussed.

The other options do not embody the essence of active listening. For instance, listening passively while multitasking does not allow for full engagement and can lead to a lack of comprehension. Thinking about responses while the client speaks detracts from truly understanding the message being communicated. Taking notes without engaging similarly fails to capture the interactive nature of effective communication that is central to active listening.