Active listening

Active listening is, beyond hearing the words, taking in the meaning and the emotion beneath what is said. The ICF counts it among the core competencies; the coach listens not merely to prepare a reply but truly to understand. In her book Time to Think, Nancy Kline shows that attention itself produces thought: a person listened to without interruption thinks more deeply. Listening is the coach's quietest yet most effective intervention. Many people notice that they are being listened to like this for the first time in their life.