Use Active Listening

Active listening is an important component of the interview process. By actively listening, you reassure taxpayers that you are paying close attention and care about what they are saying. Here are ways to engage in active listening:

• Using nonverbal cues such as nodding, smiling appropriately, and making eye contact
• Letting taxpayers take the time they need to express themselves
• Restating what taxpayers have said to reassure them you understand
• Expressing empathy or other appropriate emotions

Click here to read how a volunteer used active listening with taxpayer, Vanessa Sterling. Press the Play Audio button to hear the audio.