Active Listening: How to Respond Respectfully

This article is part of the ongoing column 12 Steps to Success.

Any successful healthcare encounter requires active listening,¹ which is far more than just paying attention. It is a specific communication skill based on the early work of psychologist Carl Rogers that indicates “I am here for you."² Active listening is the nonverbal demonstration that the veterinarian is paying attention to the client and his or her story. Maintaining appropriate eye contact, body language, organized pacing of the interview, and attentive silence allows the client time to gather his or her thoughts before the veterinarian’s response.³

Related Article: How to Choose Happy In & Out of the Practice

Feeling heard is often of top importance to the client when he or she visits the veterinarian. As Dr. Suzanne Kurtz says in her interview (see box), it is imperative to give clients space to think, participate, and collaborate in their pet's care. Active listening not only creates openings in the interview with the veterinary team for this opportunity, but also is key in satisfying angry or complaining clients.⁴

Listening intently to clients is fundamental to the entire veterinary diagnostic and treatment process. However, extrapolating from research in human healthcare, we can expect active listening to fundamentally impact 4 key aspects of client interaction:

1. Investigating disease processes from the client's perspective;2. Understanding the client on a personal level;3. Finding commonality;4. Strengthening the veterinarian-client relationship.²

So, how do we take advantage of the power of listening? Here are 5 great tips from Mind Tools on how to be an active, and more effective, listener:⁵

1. Focus: This sounds simple, but it actually requires conscious effort, especially after a long day in the practice. To be truly attentive, it is necessary to ignore distractions such as side conversations, unrelated thoughts, and environmental factors, and resist the desire to respond. Also, always make direct eye contact and pay attention to the client's body language.2. Don’t Interrupt: Interrupting irritates the speaker, especially if you are interjecting a disagreement. Let the speaker finish.3. Use Your Body: Nod, smile, and maintain an open body posture to encourage the speaker to continue. Short comments like “Yes,” “Uh-huh,” and “I understand” also help.4. Check Your Understanding: Make sure you are getting the entire message, and that the speaker knows you are, by paraphrasing or summarizing the speaker’s comments intermittently. Ask questions to clarify points and confirm that your understanding of the message is correct.5. Respond Respectfully: Remember the golden rule! Give your honest responses with the respect you would want.

References1. Active listening in medical consultations: Development of the Active Listening Observation Scale (ALOS-global). Fassaert T, van Dulmen S, Schellevis F, Bensing J. Patient Educ Couns 68:258-264, 2007.2. Active listening: More than just paying attention. Robertson K. Aust Fam Physician 34:12: 1053-1055, 2005.3. Performance keys for competency in listening skills. Guenther M. University of Michigan Dentistry;  http://open.umich.edu/sites/default/files/999/listening-skills.pdf; accessed Mar 2013.4. Organizational responses to customer complaints: What works and what doesn’t. Davidow M. J Service Res 5:225-250, 2003.5. Active Listening: Hear What People Are Really Saying. Mind Tools; http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm; accessed Mar 2013.6. Aging I&R/A Tips: The Art of Active Listening. National Aging Information & Referral Support Center; 2005, Tip Sheet 1.