Active listening is the intentional engaging practice of listening in the moment. It is the act of being attentive to what’s communicated verbally and non verbally, then relaying that information to be understood, clarified, and create connection.

Active listening is listening to understand. This form of listening develops a mutual understanding between speaker and listener. Speakers receive confirmation that their point is coming across and listeners absorb more information, comprehension, and understanding by being consciously engaged. The overall goal of active listening is to eliminate any misunderstandings and establish clear communication of thoughts, perceptions, and ideas between the speaker and listener.

Research has demonstrated that active listening promotes trust, reduces misunderstandings, and enhances emotional connection, making it a valuable tool in both personal and professional contexts. In addition to its interpersonal and professional use, active listening is increasingly recognized as an essential tool in digital communication, intercultural dialogue, and social justice contexts. Recent research highlights its role in reducing bias, fostering inclusion, and enhancing understanding across diverse perspectives.

The term “active listening” was coined by prominent psychologist Carl Rogers and Richard Farson in 1957. What initially started out as a way to improve counseling in clinical settings and improve patient provider rapport, turned into a method that produced empathetic and relational growth over a variety of settings. The theoretical framework for active listening was developed in the middle of the 20th century, most notably by Rogers and Farson, who launched the concept in their seminal 1957 essay Active Listening.

Rooted in therapeutic communication, this approach was earmarked by its emphasis on the transformative power of listening to promote personal and relational growth. Rogers and Farson insisted on the fact that this non-threatening, empathic environment should be created where people would feel listened to and understood; it is the primary condition for overcoming defensiveness and, therefore, the capability of reflection. Their work established active listening as an essential skill for effective interpersonal communication—extending its relevance beyond therapy to business and everyday interactions.

Practicing active listening also emphasized Rogers' (1980) concept of three facilitative conditions for effective counseling; empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard. Rogers and Farson write: "Active listening is an important way to bring about changes in people. Despite the popular notion that listening is a passive approach, clinical and research evidence clearly shows that sensitive listening is a most effective agent for individual personality change and group development. Listening brings about changes in peoples' attitudes toward themselves and others; it also brings about changes in their basic values and personal philosophy. People who have been listened to in this new and special way become more emotionally mature, more open to their experiences, less defensive, more democratic, and less authoritarian."

Although active listening involves the empathetic understanding and connection between two parties, active listening has a variety of types involved within it.

Critical listening is a form of active listening in which participants evaluate the information that is being given. Analyzing it for any factual and biased information, assessing the credibility of what’s being said or even the speaker themselves. It involves questioning and addressing the validity of said statements within a conversational setting.^{[citation needed]}