Candace Gordon
July 15, 2015
HCA 220
Keninthe Davis
Your title page should be centered between the left and right margins, and positioned on the upper half of the page.

We need to practice active listening not only with each other, but also with our patients. Sometimes we may hear our patients, but we don’t really listen to them and pick up on their true message. I’m going to share with you now, how to practice active listening, and conclude with a list of benefits of active listening. Active listening is a practice that focuses on a speaker, rather than focusing on a response to the issue at hand. How many times have you been involved in an argument, only to not even hear the words coming out of your colleague’s mouth? When you practice active listening, you first listen to what the speaker has to say. After you listen to what the speaker says, repeat what you heard. If what you communicate back to the speaker is what they said, then their message was successful and you listened to them. On the other hand, if what you repeat back to the speaker is nowhere near what they said then they have some more communicating to do. Practice this back and forth until the listener truly gets the message intended by the speaker. This is active listening. There are many benefits to this form of listening. First, active listening will boost morale. One of the biggest complaints from patients is that no one listens to them. We get defensive and say ‘yes we do listen – all we do is listen.’ What the patient means is that we hear them, but we don’t listen to their issue. Imagine how happy they would be if we practiced active listening with them and understood their needs! Second, active listening reduces missed communications and misunderstandings. If you practice active listening the speaker and the listener communicate back and forth until they are on the same page. This reduces conflicts. Active listening will also bring out more information. If your patient knows you are listening to them, they will volunteer more information. This information could help you do your job better – or even save a life.
Name/Signature of person who wrote the memo References The second line of a reference should be indented.

International Online Training Program on Intractable Conflict. Active Listening Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/treatment/activel.htm

Learning Through Listening Benefits of Teaching Retrieved from http://www.learningthroughlistening.org/Listening-A-Powerful-Skill/Listening-and- Learning/Benefits-of-Teaching-Listening/93/

A memo format should be similar to this:
TO: 2nd Shift Staff
SUBJECT: Listen Up
DATE: March 31, 2015
FROM: Operations Supervisor

Content and Development
53 Points
Points Earned
48/53

Additional Comments:
All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way.
The paper is 300 to 350 words in length.
The paper is a memo describing the process of active listening and how it benefits the health care workplace.
You successfully met the word length requirement – 341 words.
Your paper did not have the style of a memo.
How does the staff know you just attended a conference? A memo is an internal document used to communicate information to a select group.
Remember, your introduction should preview the major points of the paper and the conclusion should always be used to summarize the major points of the paper.
Please always close a memo with a name, signature and title.

The content is comprehensive, accurate, and persuasive.

The paper develops a central theme or idea directed toward the appropriate audience.