ACTIVE LISTENING by Dan Ballast

During our recent on-line course, many students shared how they learned about the importance of active listening. It is tempting to think that listening is a passive activity that doesn’t really change anything. However, actively listening to people and seeking to understand them is actually one of the greatest ways to serve them and even to help them grow and change. Robert Greenleaf, in his essay, shared, “Only a true natural servant automatically responds to any problem by listening first… true listening builds strength in other people.”