The Art of Listening II

In the prior blog "The Art of Listening" I left the entire entry blank.  This is because I wanted to depict the silence needed on the part of the listener.  However, silence alone is not considered listening.  Sometimes silence can show disinterest and is disconcerting to the person speaking to you.  

Some tips to make the silence feel like genuine listening:

• Maintain consistent eye contact with the speaker
• It's okay to give an empathetic frown but beware that it is not viewed as a frown that depicts rejection of the speaker's idea
• Intermittently and strategically insert a "yes", or "I hear," or the like that shows you truly are listening

Do you have any other strategies?