The Importance of Reflective Listening in Professional Contexts
Effective communication is integral across a variety of professional workplaces to build and maintain relationships. In an interview with a professional in two diverse workplaces –on the spectrum of oral to written communication– I had the opportunity to discuss common miscommunications and their potential solutions. Through reflection and research, I investigated suitable communication skills to effectively supplement my future profession as a family law practitioner.
Reporting Our Conversation
I conversed with a female counsellor with over two years of professional practice in the workforce. Beginning her career in Japan, she migrated internationally to pursue a formal Australian …show more content…
However, by understanding the extent of its ability to resolve miscommunication, applicability to a wide range of people and translation through mediums, I strengthened my appreciation for reflective listening.
Post my extensive research, I challenged a firmly held belief relating to my perception of the legal profession. In the interview, I disclosed my future career goal of becoming a family lawyer and how, in my opinion, lawyers play a ‘teacher’ role that is exempt from the principle of reflective listening as a communicative technique. I formed this opinion by differentiating facilitative, relationship-building professions (e.g. counsellors, writers, and therapists) and advisory, solution-discovering ones (e.g. lawyers and engineers). This value was reinforced by an oral legal interviewing assessment and internship at a small law firm: the solicitors were expected to ask client questions narrow questions related to legal principles, before quickly offering advice on whether the action would succeed in court. While there was rapport-building and reflection, it was minimal and negligible compared to the questions …show more content…
How do I strike the right balance between reflective listening and questioning in a time-constrained, understaffed family law legal centre? How should I reflectively listen to clients with different cultures background from my own? I hope these questions will be answered with further professional experience in my field.
Concluding Thoughts
This interview and associated research has increased my awareness of reflective listening. I have learnt about utilizing reflecting as a communication skill in a vast range of workplaces –irrespective of medium– to build relationships with clients, colleagues and officials in a client-orientated approach.
While I learned the theoretical importance of reflective listening within a family law firm, I am uncertain about my practical ability to effectively utilise the skill to build rapport. I hope this becomes more instinctive as I emerge into the field as a solicitor, with hopes of offering a client-orientated service to maximise justice in a legal
Effective communication is integral across a variety of professional workplaces to build and maintain relationships. In an interview with a professional in two diverse workplaces –on the spectrum of oral to written communication– I had the opportunity to discuss common miscommunications and their potential solutions. Through reflection and research, I investigated suitable communication skills to effectively supplement my future profession as a family law practitioner.
Reporting Our Conversation
I conversed with a female counsellor with over two years of professional practice in the workforce. Beginning her career in Japan, she migrated internationally to pursue a formal Australian …show more content…
However, by understanding the extent of its ability to resolve miscommunication, applicability to a wide range of people and translation through mediums, I strengthened my appreciation for reflective listening.
Post my extensive research, I challenged a firmly held belief relating to my perception of the legal profession. In the interview, I disclosed my future career goal of becoming a family lawyer and how, in my opinion, lawyers play a ‘teacher’ role that is exempt from the principle of reflective listening as a communicative technique. I formed this opinion by differentiating facilitative, relationship-building professions (e.g. counsellors, writers, and therapists) and advisory, solution-discovering ones (e.g. lawyers and engineers). This value was reinforced by an oral legal interviewing assessment and internship at a small law firm: the solicitors were expected to ask client questions narrow questions related to legal principles, before quickly offering advice on whether the action would succeed in court. While there was rapport-building and reflection, it was minimal and negligible compared to the questions …show more content…
How do I strike the right balance between reflective listening and questioning in a time-constrained, understaffed family law legal centre? How should I reflectively listen to clients with different cultures background from my own? I hope these questions will be answered with further professional experience in my field.
Concluding Thoughts
This interview and associated research has increased my awareness of reflective listening. I have learnt about utilizing reflecting as a communication skill in a vast range of workplaces –irrespective of medium– to build relationships with clients, colleagues and officials in a client-orientated approach.
While I learned the theoretical importance of reflective listening within a family law firm, I am uncertain about my practical ability to effectively utilise the skill to build rapport. I hope this becomes more instinctive as I emerge into the field as a solicitor, with hopes of offering a client-orientated service to maximise justice in a legal