Enhancing Communication: The Power of Active Listening Skills
Effective communication plays a pivotal role in navigating complex interactions with diverse individuals. In law enforcement, a misguided approach to communicating with a community member can make that person reluctant to report future crime or provide information as a suspect or witness, or it can negatively affect that person’s perception of the police. In contrast, effective communication makes people more likely to work with you.
While there is no universal formula for communicating with people, becoming a better listener is an essential communication skill that applies to nearly every interaction. Most of us like to think we are good listeners, but it’s easy to get distracted and only half-listen. Being an engaged listener goes beyond hearing the words that are being said; it is an active process of trying to understand the other’s perspective.
Active listening skills consistently prove invaluable in professions that involve talking to the public. Integrating active listening skills in your work as a police officer is a great way to improve rapport and can help you be more effective in your job. It can be useful when trying to get information from a victim or witness to a crime, or it can be used in more tense situations for conflict resolution, crisis intervention, crisis negotiations, or when conducting investigative interviews. If you want to learn more about some of the different interview and negotiation tactics, check out our post: “12 Key Interview Techniques for Investigators.”
In this post, we will explain more about what active listening is and provide examples on how to implement active listening skills in your work. Being an active listener takes concentration and focus, which can be difficult to do at first. But, rest assured that these skills can be developed over time and can be practiced on the job any day of the week.
Active Listening Skills
To be a good active listener, being attentive is key. Remember to give the speaker your undivided attention, suspend internal dialogue, and maintain eye contact. You can also use other nonverbal signals such as upright posture, body language, and facial expressions. For example, you can demonstrate that you are listening by smiling, nodding, and leaning in at appropriate times. This shows that you are paying attention to what the person is saying and are interested in hearing more.
A part of active listening is reflective listening. This is when you attempt to reconstruct what the speaker is saying, and relay this information back to them. This confirms that you heard accurately, and if needed, the speaker has a chance to clarify if there was a misunderstanding. When responding, show empathy and be sensitive to the other’s point of view, even if you disagree with them. Avoid judging or making conclusions about the speaker’s perspective until after you fully understand the situation.
There are several different types of active listening skills. In this post, we will focus on three active listening skills that are relevant in law enforcement or security investigations: open-ended questions, reflecting, and summarizing.
For a deeper dive into the other active listening skills not discussed here, check out this article from Virtual Speech, or download this concise handout from Boston University. For more detail on reflective listening, check out this handout by conflict resolution experts Neil Katz and Kevin McNulty.
Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions are a key active listening skill that help convey your interest in the speaker’s experience. Open-ended questions require the speaker to share their thoughts in their own words, inviting a more descriptive response and deeper level of engagement.
Examples:
“Can you describe what happened?”
“How did you feel during the incident?”
Open-ended questions encourage more open communication and increase rapport because the individual feels heard, respected, and valued. They also increase rapport because the individual can respond in the way they want. This concept, autonomy, is also a component of Motivational Interviewing.
In contrast, closed-ended questions seek a straightforward response and can be answered with one word; typically, a yes or a no. They can be helpful when you need clarification on specific details, but using too many of them can stifle conversation because they don’t allow for enough detail. Thus, closed-ended questions should be used in combination with open-ended questions.
To learn more about open-ended questions, check out this guide from the UK College of Policing.
Reflecting
Reflections are when you repeat or paraphrase what someone has told you. This helps confirm you interpreted the message correctly. It also demonstrates attentiveness and conveys interest in what the speaker is saying. This makes the speaker feel heard and valued, which also boosts rapport.
Reflections might be in the form of clarifying questions, but they don’t have to be. For example, a well-timed “uh-huh” with a nod demonstrates agreement, while saying “oh no” with sympathetic eyes expresses concern. You can also reflect their emotional state in words, verbalize their feelings, or empathize with their desired outcome.
Examples of this active listening skill include:
“I can sense that you feel frustrated.”
“It sounds like want to ensure that justice is served.”
To learn more about reflections, check out this article on reflective listening, empathy, and tactical paraphrasing.
Summarizing
Summaries are a series of different reflections connected together that help you identify themes and better understand the key points of a discussion. Summarizing involves consolidating information from multiple sources or statements, like putting puzzle pieces together. This demonstrates a greater depth of listening.
There are two types of summaries: linking summaries and transitional summaries. Linking summaries help connect different pieces of information shared throughout one or multiple conversations.
“So, you witnessed a break-in, called the police, and felt frustrated because it took them awhile to arrive.”
Transitional summaries provide a concise recap of what was discussed and set the stage for what comes next.
“Okay, we've covered your whereabouts and the events leading up to the incident. Now, let's move on to your interaction with the witness.”
To learn more about how to effectively summarize, check out this article.
Using Your Active Listening Skills
Active listening can be used across a multitude of communications. They can be used….
…with victim and witness interviews to draw out more information about an incident.
…during intelligence interviews where your objective is to gain in-depth knowledge about a complex topic.
…during background interviews to learn about a potential new hire.
…during an interview with a potential suspect in relation to an incident.
Active listening skills are often included as part of trainings that focus on de-escalation, conflict resolution, and crisis intervention. For example, active listening skills are heavily emphasized in the Police Executive Research Forum’s module on tactical communications, which is part of their ICAT de-escalation training. Alternatively, you can learn about how active listening skills apply to crisis intervention training, crisis negotiations, or when communicating with victims of crime.
Next Steps
According to research, when police are trained in active listening skills, it can effectively reduce incidents of aggression and resolve conflict.
If you are looking to take your communication skills to the next level, check out Second Sight’s new course, “Evidence Disclosure in Investigative Interviews.” In this course, we provide you with a unique blend of rapport-based techniques that will help you better communicate with people during investigative interviews. For more information, see our companion post: “12 Key Interview Techniques for Investigators.”
Over the next several months, Second Sight will continue to release more information and resources on these topics. To stay in the loop, click below to sign up for our mailing list.
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Boston University. (N.d.). “Active Listening Handout.” Office of the Ombuds, Boston University. Retrieved July 2023 from https://www.bumc.bu.edu/facdev-medicine/files/2016/10/Active-Listening-Handout.pdf
College of Policing, UK. (2023). “Conflict Management Skills.” In Police Guidance: Conflict Management. Retrieved July 2023 from https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/conflict-management/conflict-management-skills
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