naturally good at it. Good listening involves actively concentrating, on various
levels, to absorb and understand the information you receive rather than simply ...
Am I a Good Listener?
Introduction If you are unsure about the effectiveness of your listening skills, or have received negative feedback about your listening, this questionnaire is a personal inventory of listening skills that will help you to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Listening Questionnaire The following questionnaire (overleaf) poses a number of questions about various aspects of active listening. It will take around 10 minutes to complete. For anyone who manages people, listening is a vital skill, and very few of us are naturally good at it. Good listening involves actively concentrating, on various levels, to absorb and understand the information you receive rather than simply passively ‘hearing’ the speaker. The ability to listen well can help you to build relationships of trust with others in your workplace and to increase your influencing skills. You could also use the questionnaire with members of your team, either individually or as part of a group forum. In either event, it is important to devote enough time to both reflect on the outcomes of the questionnaire and consider appropriate remedial actions. Instructions 1.
Apply the questions to yourself and respond by simply ticking the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ column, as appropriate.
2.
When you have completed your responses to the questions, add up the scores in the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ columns.
www.stellarleadership.com
1
Am I a Good Listener?
Am I a Good Listener Questionnaire Yes
No
When you are listening to someone, do you try to separate out the verbal and non-verbal messages? Do you look for what the speaker is not saying or for any hidden agendas? Do you ask questions to clarify anything you do not understand or to check that you have received the message correctly? Do you reflect your understanding back to the speaker with both verbal and non-verbal actions? Where you agree with the speaker, do you try to make that support known? Do you give any speaker your full attention for the duration of his/her speech, even when you are not especially interested? Do you try to keep an open mind and try to push to the back of your mind any opinions you might already have on the subject? Do you take notes to assist recall? Do you reflect the speaker’s body language? Do you wait until the speaker has finished before reflecting on the subject matter or formulating questions? Do you look at the speaker and try to make eye contact? Do you encourage the speaker, for example by saying “Tell me more”?
“Go on …” or
Do you try to develop empathy with the speaker? Do you avoid filling silence if the person with whom you are speaking does not immediately answer a question? Do you reflect feelings back to the speaker? Do you avoid saying: “I know how you feel”, even in situations where you have gone through a similar experience? Do you focus your attention on the individual with whom you are communicating, rather than on yourself? Do you try to avoid any signs of restlessness, such as crossing and uncrossing your legs, looking at your watch, gazing out of a window or yawning? When you are reflecting on a long conversation, a speech, a presentation or a meeting, can you generally remember most of what was said? Do you find that colleagues and friends like to talk things through with you or use you as a sounding board?
1.
Total
Where you have answered ‘no’, you should reflect on the need to change this listening behaviour.
www.stellarleadership.com
2
