When you become an active listener, you can better take care of your massage therapy clients. After you've completed your education at a good Jacksonville massage school, you will want to learn how to become an active listener.

There are plenty of ways you can better serve your massage therapy clients. Let's look at what active listening is and how you can become a better active listener.

What is Active Listening?

An active listener understands the message they are receiving and responds with compassion. While you might hear your massage client, if you're using active listening, you will be 100% present, validate what they are saying, remember what was said, and respond with compassion and understanding.

Active Listening: The Three A's

Attention

When you practice active listening, you need to pay attention to your massage clients. You need to put in the effort with body language, tone, and emotions. It's not up to you to read your client's mind, but to be understanding.

If you're a passive listener, you will likely get impatient or even interrupt your client. However, as an active listener, you will process what they are saying and confirm you understand your client.

Attitude

Of course, if you want to be a good active listener, you have to approach every client conversation with a good attitude. You have to remove hostility and judgement. Remember, your clients are coming to you because they are stressed or in pain. They need your help.

Make sure you never interrupt when they are talking and listen to what they are saying about their pain or stress. Keeping a positive attitude can help you to better serve your massage clients.

Adjustment

As a good active listener, you will need to be able to adjust throughout the conversation. You cannot just assume you know what the client is going to say. Instead, be willing to adjust the way you treat them based on what they tell you about their pain and stress.

A Few Tips to Become a Better Active Listener

1. Stay in the Moment

Good active listeners will stay in the moment without any mental noise when working with their clients.  When you stay in the moment, you will actually hear and process what your client is telling you.

2. Observe

A good listener will also use the skills of observation. They will see the non-verbal cues from their clients to better understand the pain or stress they are feeling.

3. Be Curious

It's good to ask questions and try to dig to the root of the issue. When you are curious, you will be able to better serve your clients by finding out what is truly ailing them.

4. Use Eye Contact

Good eye contact can help to communicate that you understand what is being said. It can also help you come across as sincere and trustworthy.

There are many ways to become an active listener and better serve your massage therapy clients. If you want to become a better massage therapist, learn how to be a great active listener.