You don’t have to be a communications professional to benefit from good communication skills, and one that everyone should master is active listening. 

Active listening means you hear not just the words the person is saying, but the entire message. Here are some tips for active listening:

• Give the speaker your full and undivided attention.
• Clear your mind of distractions and judgements. 
• Don’t interrupt with your own thoughts.
• Show open, positive body language to stay focused and to show the speaker that you are listening.
• Paraphrase what you’ve heard when you respond.
• Ask open-ended questions to help get additional information.