Last week, we understood the distinction between Listening and hearing . In this article we focus on the key attitudes required for Active listening, which is the first skill in the ongoing series on 7 Skills We Wish Were Taught at Medical College Our ability to be good listeners arises from the attitude that we have while dealing with our patients. An attitude is “a perspective created by a feeling or by thinking about something or someone, which influences our behaviour”.
Hence, having the right attitude is a precursor to being an active listener. There are a number of attitudes that make us effective listeners, but for the sake of simplicity, I have chosen the following four that I think are most essential: Attitude 1: Being Understanding and Supportive I strongly believe that it is not enough for us to know but actually believe that the value of our existence as doctors is totally…
