Effects of a Six Hour Training of Active Listening

Abstract

Different modes of training active listening (AL) were assessed in an experiment and a quasi-experiment. The experiment compared supervised role-play (6 hr; N= 6), written exercices (6 hr; N= 3), and discussion (2 hr; N= 3) conditions. The quasi-experiment compared partly supervised role-play (6 hr; N= 6), and no training control (N= 6) conditions. As an evaluation, all participants had a 7-min counselling with a fictitious help-seeker. Their responses were categorized into AL, and other responses, and the help-seeker gave an evaluation of the participants. The result was that role-play participants used AL more than the control participants did. However, the help-seeker reported no differences in the evaluation of the participants.