Active Listening in Interpersonal Communication
Summary
Active listening denotes a dynamic process whereby an individual engages attentively with a speaker’s verbal and non-verbal cues to foster mutual understanding and rapport. It encompasses focused attention, reflective feedback and the suspension of judgment to create an environment of psychological safety. In interpersonal contexts—from organisational teams and educational settings to therapeutic relationships—active listening underpins effective message exchange, conflict resolution and emotional support. Recent theoretical models conceptualise active listening as a multidimensional skill set comprising cognitive engagement, affective resonance and behavioural responsiveness. By facilitating clarity and trust, active listening contributes to enhanced relational quality, improved task performance and increased well-being. Practical applications range from leadership development and counselling to peer-support programmes, illustrating its global relevance across cultures and professional domains.
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Active Listening in Interpersonal Communication publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in active listening in interpersonal communication across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Active listening: A communicative approach combining focussed attention, clarification and summarisation to ensure accurate comprehension and mutual understanding.
Empathic listening: A subset of active listening that emphasises recognition and validation of a speaker’s emotional state alongside cognitive engagement.
Perceived listening: An individual’s subjective evaluation of how attentively and accurately they believe they have been heard by another person.
Listening training: Structured interventions designed to enhance individuals’ capacity for attentive, empathetic and responsive listening behaviours.
References
- A Meta-analytic Systematic Review and Theory of the Effects of Perceived Listening on Work Outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology (2023).
- Teaching with Ears Wide Open: The Value of Empathic Listening. Education Sciences (2025).
- Learning to listen: Downstream effects of listening training on employees' relatedness, burnout, and turnover intentions. Human Resource Management (2022).
About these summaries
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