Active Listening: A Case Study Of Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are essential skills involved in communicating with or relating to another person, often on a one-on-one basis; these interpersonal skills allow people to communicate effectively and clearly [Mcconnell, 2004]. The scenario I’m reflecting on is a situation that I was confronted with whilst being a sales assistant at a convenience store. Upon this occasion, I had used interpersonal qualities to de-escalate the encounter. This incident occurred with an elderly man who came into the store complaining the crackers he had bought earlier were all broken prior to opening them. Although the store had a strict no refund policy unless an item was past expiration. He demanded that he got a refund which I wasn’t authorised to give, …show more content…
Often people are distracted or are already beginning to form a response to what is being said. Active listening, therefore, allows the other a person to communicate and have the opportunity to speak, and at the same time have their message conveyed to another person to ensure the best possible outcome [Active Listening, 2016]. In the majority of the dispute, there was very little active listening that occurred. I feel as if the customer and I had been to engage in trying to “win” the conflict instead of trying to resolve it. I believe that this is one of the main reasons why this conflict wasn’t settled in a short period of time. When I eventually listened to his ideas properly I was able to fully understand his situation. This display of active listening allowed me to understand the man 's circumstances. He felt as if his problem wasn’t dealt or cared for, and upon reflection, I can recognise that I didn 't listen to his problem. Instead of listening to his issue I tried to distance/isolate myself from the conflict. Which I believe to another person would seem rude and unempathetic. Therefore, resulting in the man getting offended and angry. Which intern results in the argument lasting a long period of …show more content…
When I was initiated in the conflict I didn’t care for the man and his problems. I think this happened because his problems don 't affect my life, so I wasn’t so concerned for his. Although once I started to listen to the man’s problems I began to imagine if I was put in the same position and how I would react. I think showing empathy for the man was the reason why I actually helped him to achieve his goal, and diffuse the conflict. Upon observation, I think I should display empathy a lot more in life, as it actually allows for a proper and more thoughtful response to problems (and other events). I feel that being more empathetic it allows you to respond to the person’s problem instead of responding to what the person has said in the moment. The man also displayed empathy, as he apologised for putting me under a lot of pressure, even after knowing I had little control over his