Listening and Communication

What is Clinical Listening?

Clinical listening is a communication approach that involves attentively listening to a client’s concerns, feelings, and experiences without judgment or interruption. Listening is an advanced skill, central to client outcomes, requiring intent and self-regulatory effort to do well (King, 2022). 

 

What Makes a Good Listener?

Good listening happens through engaged awareness, with listeners being attentive, present in-the-moment, and emotionally involved. 

Effective listeners in healthcare settings have person-centred mindsets; they are attuned to others, genuine, curious, open, and non-judgmental (King, 2022).

Effective listening skills are often neglected in the training of clinicians.

Listening Stances

Effective Listening and Interactive Communication

Various types of listening are involved in clinical work. The four listening stances (King et al., 2011) are:


1. Receptive Listening
Mindful attention to understand the client’s situation.


2. Exploratory Listening 
Dialogue to elicit information and establish clarity about issues. 


3. Consensus-Oriented Listening
Establishing shared understanding in collaboration with the client.


4. Action-Oriented Listening
Supporting and enabling clients to plan and establish actions towards desired outcomes.

Publications

King, G. (2022). Central yet overlooked: Engaged and person-centred listening in rehabilitation and healthcare conversations. Disability and Rehabilitation, 44(24), 7664–7676. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2021.1982026

King, G., & Servais, M. (2018). Effective Listening and Interactive Communication Scale (ELICS). In D. L. Worthington & G. Bodie, The Sourcebook of Listening Research: Methodology and Measures (pp. 252-258). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

King, G., Servais, M., Shepherd, T., Willoughby, C., Bolack, L., Moodie, S., Baldwin, P., Strachan, D., Knickle, K., Pinto, M., Parker, K., & McNaughton, N. (2017). A listening skill educational intervention for pediatric rehabilitation clinicians: A mixed-methods pilot study. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 20(1), 40-52. doi: 10.3109/17518423.2015.1063731

King, G., Shepherd, T. A., Servais, M., Willoughby, C., Bolack, L., Strachan, D., Moodie, S., Baldwin, P., Knickle, K., Parker, K., Savage, D., & McNaughton, N. (2016). Developing authentic clinical simulations for effective listening and communication in pediatric rehabilitation service delivery. Developmental Neurorehabilitation 19(5), 284-294. doi: 10.3109/17518423.2014.989461

Shepherd, T., King, G., Servais, M., Bolack, L., & Willoughby C. (2014). Clinical scenario discussions of listening in interprofessional health care teams. International Journal of Listening, 28, 47-63. doi: 10.1080/10904018.2014.861295

King, G., Servais, M., Bolack, L., Shepherd, T., & Willoughby C. (2012). Development of a measure to assess effective listening and interactive communication skills in the delivery of children’s rehabilitation service. Disability and Rehabilitation, 34(6), 459-469. doi:10.3109/09638288.2011.608143