Loading tweets...The second key to good conversation is active listening. Your child may need to be taught that an active listener feeds back what has been said in his words and actions to let the speaker know he’s been understood. This gives the speaker the reassurance he was listened to, and promotes more conversation. It should be made clear that listening is more than just keeping your mouth shut. It involves carefully attending to what is said, remembering it, and then feeding it back. Listening involves a multiple step process that can be practiced in role-play. A good starting activity is to have your child tell you about her day and then start talking about other things and dominating the conversation. Then ask the child how they feel. Tell her that is how others feel when she does not actively listen.
(c) 1995-2009 monte w. davenport, ph.d.
