Earning the Right to Be Heard

Active listening establishes a "psychological truth" that states:

When you sincerely try to understand another person's point of view (not necessarily agree with it), then he/she becomes psychologically obligated to try to understand your point of view.

Why?

People are often unwilling to hear what you have to say in response to their situation until you acknowledge that you understand what they said. You accomplish this by simply paraphrasing or summarizing what they said to make sure that what you heard is what they intended. This establishes a psychological truth that essentially obligates the speaker to hear what you have to say.