Be an Active Listener (Nursing)

00:00 Lucy was trying to help Ethel become a better healthcare provider.

00:06 She was excellent at providing care, but she consistently was late in documentation.

00:13 Furthermore, when she charted the patient's information, it was unclear, typically patchy, and undetailed.

00:22 As Lucy tried to tactfully express her concerns with her friend, Ethel nodded her head and said "Okay, thanks. I'll do better." Unsurprisingly, Ethel did not take the feedback to heart and she did not improve her performance.

00:39 How likely is Lucy to give feedback to Ethel again? Too often, we listen for a response.

00:47 We focus on getting our message heard in a noisy world, but not enough on effective listening in a distracting world.

00:57 And this leads me to another really important element of performance feedback.

01:03 Engage in active listening when receiving feedback.

01:08 One way to do this is to be proactive in clearing distractions like phones, multitasking, loud environments.

01:19 Look at the person and listen to understand.

01:24 Be mindful of being quiet and allowing the messenger to speak.

01:31 Listen, just sit, be present, soak in the feedback that is being given.

01:39 The first step to active listening is to be quiet and listen.

01:46 After a message is said, one powerful tool is to repeat back what was said so that you can clarify the message and identify any understanding gaps.

02:00 At this moment, don't seek to add any additional dialogue.

02:05 Be genuine in your repetition of the message.

02:09 Approach the repeated message with an attitude of further clarification and understanding.

02:16 Repeat your understanding of what feedback has been given and allow an opportunity for the messenger to give any necessary clarification or additional information.

02:31 You can also ask mindful clarifying questions.

02:36 When repeating the message or after the feedback has been delivered, you might still have questions about the message.

02:45 Be mindful and ask clarifying questions.

02:49 You can ask prompting questions like "Can you tell me more? Can you expand? Please explain." You can also ask specific questions like "When you said you wanted quicker response times, do you mean within the day or within the hour?" Ask mindful clarifying questions.

03:13 So often, we can focus on the feedback that we give but we should also be intentional about the way that we receive feedback.

03:23 So, here's what I want you to do.

03:26 Next time that someone wants to give you feedback, try your best to clear distractions.

03:33 Be mindful. Sit and seek to understand. Be intentional about being an active listener.